Touted as the biggest urban development in the country, Wescape will provide homes for about a million people just 25km from Cape Town's city centre. The development is the brainchild of development company CommuniTgrow.
It wants to build 200,000 homes for lower-income groups along with 33 hospitals and clinics, 370 libraries and community halls, 415 schools and 15 sports complexes on 3,100 hectares of land near Melkbosstrand.
The project is will cost at least R140bn over the next 20 years.
CommuniTgrow chief executive Ruben Richards said the city council handed the proposal to the local government environment and planning MEC Anton Bredell for approval two weeks ago.
But the project has been met with vociferous objections from residents who claim that it will result in traffic congestion, pollution and crime and will lower the value of existing properties in the area.
John Taylor, chairman of the Melkbosstrand Ratepayers Association, said residents were not properly consulted.
"All we have gleaned has been from press releases and documents left at the public library. According to most recent public statements by mayor Patricia de Lille, this project is receiving strong political support for speedy implementation," said Taylor.
He says the project will add up to a million people to the 100,000 who already live in the 'red zone' surrounding the Koeberg nuclear reactor.
"The poverty of Atlantis will be exacerbated by an increasing pool of low-income residents, far from any reasonable source of employment," he added.
Anti-nuclear activist Mike Kantey said the development would encroach into the Koeberg nuclear power station's 16km emergency zone and that it would be difficult to evacuate so many people in case of a disaster.
Richards said the "nightmares" of residents were unfounded and implausible.
"We are not a bunch of idiots. The company comprises very successful professionals who have done huge projects and have enormous credibility," said Richards.
"We have put our entire plan on the website; it is a downloadable 400-page book for the public to see. We have got nothing to hide," he added.
Richards said South Africa has a backlog of 2.2m homes and the rate of urbanisation in Africa will require 800 cities similar to the one proposed by CommuniTgrow.
De Lille's spokesman Solly Malatsi said: "The proposal is subject to the approval of the [local government MEC] who will set the conditions. The city cannot comment on any speculation regarding the development."
On Monday (15 April), Aziel Gangerdine, spokesman for the provincial Department of Environmental Affairs development planning, said no formal application from CommuniTgrow has been received.
"At this point Wescape is just a proposal. No application has been received by the department. What they are probably alluding to is what the process should be," Gangerdine added.
Source: The Times via I-Net Bridge
For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.
We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.
Go to: http://www.inet.co.za
