After several delays brought about by stringent and complex processes that had to be followed in procuring suitably qualified service providers, the Regional Land Claims Commission on Thursday reported that it was at an advanced stage of the business and spatial planning work needed for the redevelopment of District Six and the restitution of land claimants. According to Beverely Jansen, Regional Land Claims Commissioner for the Western Cape, they were preparing a development framework to form the basis of a comprehensive business plan.
This business plan was initiated in the first quarter of 2009 but could not continue without a completed development framework being in place. "We aim to complete the development framework and business plan by July 2010 after engaging in a public participation process commencing in April 2010, which will seek to achieve stakeholder approval," Jansen said in a joint statement signed by the City of Cape Town, Provincial Government and the District Six Beneficiary and Redevelopment Trust.
According to Jansen, the Claims Commission has spent the last two years appointing service providers who are skilled in planning developments of the kind that needed in District Six. They include professionals such as urban planners, architects and engineers, who will do the planning and urban design of the site, and also property economists and sociologists, who will ensure the financial viability of the project, while at the same time catering for the needs of the returning community.
Return
Some 1,200 former District Six land claimants will return to District Six, together with Land Reform Beneficiaries from valid land claims in other parts of the Metro region, and, in line with the site's status as an N2 Gateway Project, persons drawn according to transparent criteria from the housing waiting list.
Approximately 5,000 dwelling units will be built in the District, supported by significant medium rise commercial developments, which will be used to cross-subsidize the costs of the construction of claimant homes and social housing not covered by grant funding and beneficiary contributions. Public facilities and public spaces for recreational purposes to support a fairly large returning community form an integral part of the development proposals for District Six.
"A key informant of the business plan is a profile of the community. This requires that we engage with the community and ask them questions with regard to family size, income and their particular needs. However, there is a very limited amount of time and a relatively large returning community. We have also borne in mind that the claimants are tired of filling in forms and submitting documents. That is why we will only ask some 500 beneficiaries to participate."
She said in accordance with good practice, "We have decided that we should take a snap-shot of the community and profile only them as a representative sample of the entire returning community. We will use this information and then draw inferences about the remaining claimants. Names will be selected at random with the sample weighted according to the geographic location where most of the community is presently concentrated."
Community input
Jansen said once they have a fairly complete draft of the business plan and development framework, the community will be called on to give further input. This will involve presentations in a similar vein to that conducted in 2006. Once that process is complete, the final draft of the business plan and development framework will be prepared and an implementation plan will be devised for the roll out of the redevelopment.
"This will be a complex process given that the redevelopment of District Six is a multi-billion rand project. The RLCC, City of Cape Town and the Provincial Government and the District Six Trust have undertaken to ensure that the redevelopment is driven by a viable and efficient process. The two spheres of government have also undertaken to work in partnership with the RLCC to fast track all planning, subsidy and property transfer processes that they are responsible for," the statement said.
"As with any large housing project, these processes are complicated and take time, but we will work together to ensure they move as quickly as possible. This is a critical phase in the redevelopment of District Six and its finalization will trigger what we all have been waiting for so patiently, the building of houses for the returning community. We therefore appeal to the community to co-operate fully and enthusiastically," Jansen concluded.
This business plan was initiated in the first quarter of 2009 but could not continue without a completed development framework being in place. "We aim to complete the development framework and business plan by July 2010 after engaging in a public participation process commencing in April 2010, which will seek to achieve stakeholder approval," Jansen said in a joint statement signed by the City of Cape Town, Provincial Government and the District Six Beneficiary and Redevelopment Trust.
According to Jansen, the Claims Commission has spent the last two years appointing service providers who are skilled in planning developments of the kind that needed in District Six. They include professionals such as urban planners, architects and engineers, who will do the planning and urban design of the site, and also property economists and sociologists, who will ensure the financial viability of the project, while at the same time catering for the needs of the returning community.
Return
Some 1,200 former District Six land claimants will return to District Six, together with Land Reform Beneficiaries from valid land claims in other parts of the Metro region, and, in line with the site's status as an N2 Gateway Project, persons drawn according to transparent criteria from the housing waiting list.
Approximately 5,000 dwelling units will be built in the District, supported by significant medium rise commercial developments, which will be used to cross-subsidize the costs of the construction of claimant homes and social housing not covered by grant funding and beneficiary contributions. Public facilities and public spaces for recreational purposes to support a fairly large returning community form an integral part of the development proposals for District Six.
"A key informant of the business plan is a profile of the community. This requires that we engage with the community and ask them questions with regard to family size, income and their particular needs. However, there is a very limited amount of time and a relatively large returning community. We have also borne in mind that the claimants are tired of filling in forms and submitting documents. That is why we will only ask some 500 beneficiaries to participate."
She said in accordance with good practice, "We have decided that we should take a snap-shot of the community and profile only them as a representative sample of the entire returning community. We will use this information and then draw inferences about the remaining claimants. Names will be selected at random with the sample weighted according to the geographic location where most of the community is presently concentrated."
Community input
Jansen said once they have a fairly complete draft of the business plan and development framework, the community will be called on to give further input. This will involve presentations in a similar vein to that conducted in 2006. Once that process is complete, the final draft of the business plan and development framework will be prepared and an implementation plan will be devised for the roll out of the redevelopment.
"This will be a complex process given that the redevelopment of District Six is a multi-billion rand project. The RLCC, City of Cape Town and the Provincial Government and the District Six Trust have undertaken to ensure that the redevelopment is driven by a viable and efficient process. The two spheres of government have also undertaken to work in partnership with the RLCC to fast track all planning, subsidy and property transfer processes that they are responsible for," the statement said.
"As with any large housing project, these processes are complicated and take time, but we will work together to ensure they move as quickly as possible. This is a critical phase in the redevelopment of District Six and its finalization will trigger what we all have been waiting for so patiently, the building of houses for the returning community. We therefore appeal to the community to co-operate fully and enthusiastically," Jansen concluded.
- The Voice of the Cape
No comments:
Post a Comment