Cape Town - A failed court bid by the Racing Park Development Owners’ Association (RPDOA) has been blamed for the slow progress relocating families living in congested conditions in Dunoon to the Killarney Gardens Emergency Housing Project.
In March the Western Cape High Court dismissed the case in which the RPDOA attempted to get a land transfer between Cape Killarney Property Investments and the Housing Development Agency declared invalid and reversed.
Human Settlements MEC Tertuis Simmers said that as a result of delays caused by the case and subsequent appeal, the residents of the Killarney Gardens Emergency Housing Project in Dunoon are yet to be relocated.
This, despite applications for rezoning and subdivision in terms of the Municipal Planning by-law being made to the City in May and June last year and approval having followed from the Municipal Planning Tribunal in September and November.
Simmers was responding to EFF provincial chairperson Melikhaya Xego who had asked for an update of the process on moving families living in congested conditions in Dunoon and Kosovo.
Xego also asked what plans the department had to accommodate families left homeless by a recent shack fire in Kosovo.
Simmers said: “It is anticipated that site clearance will commence later this year, which will be followed by services installations. The construction of top structures is expected to commence during the 2022/23 financial year.
Simmers said that while the City’s appeals authority issued the approval decisions, the approvals came with conditions that require additional work prior to starting construction.
“The conditions relate to stormwater management and capacity of the main Potsdam Wastewater Treatment to accommodate the development.
“The project team is in the process of aligning various technical documentation in order to respond to the conditions of approval before construction can commence. The development forms part of both short-term and longer-term planning for the area,” said Simmers.