The City will host three open days where residents can view the 11 City-owned sites in Salt River, Woodstock and the inner-city which will be developed to accommodate 4 000 lower income households.
The open days, which will be held from tomorrow, Friday September 29, to Sunday October 1 will give those visiting, the opportunity to share their ideas regarding the social housing project with City members. Public information sessions, dialogues, workshops and other relevant forums will also be held in the months ahead to keep residents updated with the development process.
“This date marks a momentous occasion as we embark on developing prime land for at least 4 000 lower-income households in Salt River, Woodstock and the inner-city. The importance of this precinct-led development cannot be overstated.
“Apart from the scale and the fact that thousands of households stand to benefit from these opportunities, it also marks a break with apartheid spatial planning where our urban form is defined by poorer families living on the fringes,” said the City’s mayoral committee member for transport and urban development, Brett Herron.
Mr Herron said the City hoped to collaborate with stakeholders and the people who currently lived and worked in Woodstock and Salt River, on the development, stating that he had already met with some residents and ratepayers’ associations and hosted an informal housing dialogue on the matter.
“We will keep on engaging with the local community, residents, and other role-players as the development processes for these sites unfold,” he said. “I am excited about the future of Woodstock and Salt River and the opportunity we now have to create a new urban fabric where lower-income families live on well-located land close to public transport and work.
“We need our residents and organisations in the housing realm to support us to make a success of these developments. I therefore urge the public to please make the time to visit our exhibition on one of these open days. We want all Capetonians, and in particular those living and working in these suburbs, to contribute and participate in the processes in the months to come,” said Mr Herron.
The last open day coincides with the Open Streets Day along Main Road where sections of the M4 in Salt River and Woodstock will be closed for traffic which Mr Herron said is an ideal opportunity for residents to walk over to the Cape Town Science Centre and view the maps of the 11 City-owned sites which details the City’s vision for the sites.
The open days will held at the Cape Town Science Centre at 370 Main Road, in Observatory on Friday September 29 from 3pm to 7pm, on Saturday September 30 from 9am to 2pm, and on Sunday October 1 from 10am to 3pm.
