About 40 containers at the premises of the Riverview Church of Christ in Lakeside have been removed. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
While about 40 containers at the premises of the Riverview Church of Christ in Lakeside have been removed, it was expected that the Sheriff of the Court would seal off the remaining containers by midnight last night.
After being interdicted from any further operation on site to run a container storage business premises, Metric Storage is reported to have moved some of its more than 100 containers off the premises after the City issued it with compliance notices.
Deputy mayor and Mayco member for spatial planning and environment, Eddie Andrews, confirmed 40 containers had been moved off the premises and no new complaints had been received.
“The parties are negotiating the removal of the balance of the containers... On 16 May 2024, the City will move for an order in the Western Cape High Court for inter alia, the removal of the containers from the property by the respondents, as well as that the respondents be interdicted from using the property as a container site or warehouse unless they have the necessary approvals,” said Andrews.
Ward councillor Carolynne Franklin said while a number of the containers on the boundary of the premises were still at the site, these “would soon be moved”. This comes after storage container clients were given access to the site until March 31 “but only for purposes of retrieving and removing their goods”.
“I can confirm that a number of the storage containers have been removed and this included vehicles, caravans and boats. The majority of the containers are still on site but is not being used and has been vacated by clients after they were informed by Metric Storage to have their goods removed. They had ample time to do such,” said Franklin.
Dealtry Pickford, owner of Metric Storage, said they have ceased all operations at the site.
“We are complying with the agreement that we reached with the City.
Metric Storage has ceased trading at the Riverview Church of Christ in Lakeside and has to date moved one third of the containers from the site,” said Pickford.
Previously, Judge Noluthando Nziweni ordered that Metric Storage was interdicted and restrained from operating a storage facility at the immovable Lakeside property other than for the purposes of retrieving and removing goods from the containers.
The establishment of the “Container City”, located at 446 Main Road in Lakeside, sparked outrage in the community as residents opposed the lease agreement signed between the storage company and the church.
After signing a five-year lease agreement with the board of trustees at the church, the deal went sour when it was confirmed that the premises is not zoned accordingly for the operation of a storage facility.
A zoning departure application was submitted to council but was not yet approved with the containers being stored on the piece of land in contravention of land use regulations.
Cape Times