A civic body wants Kenilworth ratepayers to pay more to get top-up law enforcement and other municipal services.
The Kenilworth Village Res-idents’ and Business Association (KVRBA) wants to start a community improvement district (CID) in the area to tackle crime, vagrancy and prostitution.
At this stage, it’s not clear how much more ratepayers will be asked to pay, but the KVRBA’s Henk Egberink, estimated it could be 15 to 18% of existing property rates.
At a KVRBA meeting in October, residents said they believed the effectiveness of the Claremont and Wynberg CID had pushed crime into the Kenilworth area.
Tatler reported last week that growing numbers of sex workers were soliciting clients along Harfield Road (“Sex trade boom in Kenilworth,” Tatler, December 14.)
The boundaries of the proposed CID would be Wetton/ Riverstone/Tennant Road; Oak Avenue; Main Road and Harfield Road.
The KVRBA is surveying property owners to gauge support for the plan, which it says has City backing. The deadline for completion of the survey is Wednesday January 10.
“We must make all the property owners in the proposed CID area aware of our survey so that we can send them forms if they have not already received them by email,” said Mr Egberink. “The situation is getting serious, and we’re fighting hard. The City of Cape Town has bigger problems than battling with homelessness in the area.”
Mr Egberink said the CID would see business and the City working together to prevent urban decay and crime.
Once the survey is done, a public meeting will be held to present the business plan for the Kenilworth Improvement District. In order to be approved, the plan will need 60% of Kenilworth’s property owners to support it.
“All property owners will have the right to lodge objections with the City within a given time. When the CID commences in 2019, the City will levy all properties an additional property rate to cover the cost of the additional services required,” said Mr Egberink.
Visit www.kenilworthcid.co.za to participate in the survey.
