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Cape Town – The city has adapted its vision "quite substantially" for proposed development of coastal land between Clifton and Camps Bay, Mayor Patricia de Lille said on Wednesday.
This was as a result of "listening carefully" to input from extensive public participation processes, she said during her mayoral speech at a full council meeting.
In May, the city's council agreed to the in-principle sale and granting of rights to use, control and lease portions of four city-owned plots of land.
The land is in a much sought after location.
The city’s deputy mayor Ian Neilson explained in a statement in June that the land – which included the Glen Country Club, Maiden's Cove, a sports oval and garages for bungalow residents – was in a degraded state and provided somewhat limited access to the oceanfront for residents and visitors.
The suggestions included that the area be developed for residential and retail use, an underground parking garage, and the redevelopment and relocation of sports facilities, Neilson said in the statement.
De Lille asked the council on Wednesday to note and consider approving the proposed changes to this vision.
One of these was the establishment of a "residential component" on the parking area at Maiden's Cove.
It was also proposed that the beach recreational node at Maiden's Cove be expanded to include portions of the sports field leased by Camps Bay High school to "maximise the public value of the site".
De Lille said it was proposed that the city set up a special fund where a portion of the sale or lease proceeds would be pooled to fund inner-city inclusionary housing projects.
This prompted applause from many councillors.
It was also proposed that the developer be required to contribute to certain upgrades, including pedestrian access routes to Clifton’s Fourth Beach.
It was envisioned that both rich and poor would have access to a walkway stretching from Sea Point to the Maiden's Cove area, De Lille said.
ACDP councillor Grant Haskin asked how the public would know that two plots had subsequently been added to the proposed development.
De Lille replied that there would be additional public participation processes if council approved the plan on Wednesday.
Al Jama-ah councillor Ganief Hendricks said the land should be given to the Khoi-San because "their footprints are still on the beach".
In reply, De Lille said Hendricks was confusing land development with land restitution.
"There is another process for land restitution."
Council members were due to vote later on whether to proceed with a competitive tender process to find a private developer.
