Blocks of flats up to 24 metres high would be permitted on three properties near the Newlands Rugby Stadium if the City approves rezoning plans.
The Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU), which owns the plots, wants to rezone them from Community Zone 2 (CO2) to General residential 4 (GR4).
The public has until Wednesday October 7 to comment.
Two of the plots are at 2B and 4B Dulwich Road and the third is at 6 Boundary Road.
The Boundary Road property is an occupied residence while the Dulwich Road properties are fenced parking lots used for rugby games at the nearby stadium.
According to the Municipal Planning Amendment By-laws, GR4 allows buildings up to 24m in height.
According to Zelt Marais, the WPRFU president, the rezoning application seeks to reverse a “technical correction” the City made when it rezoned the properties from GR4 to CO2 in February last year.
“The dwelling on 6 Boundary Road was used by the late CEO of WP Rugby, Theuns Roodman, a house that has been there for the last 30 years,” he said.
Marian Nieuwoudt, mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, said the City had incorrectly rezoned the properties to GR4.
“At some point a technical error occurred on the Geographic Information System (GIS) and the zoning was recorded as GR4 on the zoning map,” she said.
The City had advertised its intention to correct the zoning map to surrounding property owners, but none of them had responded and the properties had been changed back to CO2, she said.
It’s this change that the WPRFU wants to reverse.
Mr Marais argues that many of the other properties along the Liesbeeck River embankment between the river and Boundary Road are zoned GR4 and have huge developments on them. This is also evident on the City’s zoning map.
The WPRFU currently had no intention to develop the two Dulwich Road properties as season-ticket holders parked there, Mr Marais said.
“The current rezoning application brought is simply to retain our rights on these grounds, something we enjoyed for the last 50 years and more,” he said.
Ward Councillor Ian Iversen said if a zoning mistake had been made it would certainly need to be corrected.
“The application by the WPRFU for the rezoning should match the surrounding zoning rights.”
Residents and the civic association should be notified of the application and be given an opportunity to comment, he said.
The Newlands Residents’ Association did not respond to questions by the time this edition went to print.
Comments or objections should be submitted on a form – available from https://www.capetown.gov.za/LandUseObjections – to comments_objections.southern@capetown.gov.za or fax number 086 202 9985 before Wednesday October 7.
