Affordability of proposed housing ‘relative’

Ndifuna Ukwazi says it should have been consulted

NGO Ndifuna Ukwazi has slammed the Western Cape government over its proposed plans for the Somerset hospital precinct which include mixed-use developments but only makes provision for a “minimum of 300 affordable housing units”.

But the provincial Department of Transport and Public Works says the rezoning applications for the land have been in the public domain since September, and the government proposals were still open for comment until Friday.

In March, the provincial executive went ahead with plans for the sale of the Tafelberg site despite objections from activists and said instead it would include affordable housing at the site of the Helen Bowden Nurses’ Home at Somerset hospital, and the Woodstock hospital site.

The department has proposed that the three precincts at Somerset hospital site should be zoned as “general business” which, according to the municipal planning by-law would allow it to be used for “business premises, housing, flats, entertainment, hotel, conference facility, and place of instruction”.

Ndifuna Ukwazi said while there was no legal requirement from the provincial government to consult interested parties in terms of their rezoning application, civil rights organisation should have been consulted.

In the rezoning application, the provincial government stated that the regional hospital would eventually be moved to Table View.

The provincial government’s proposal calls for cross-subsidisation to pay for affordable housing on the site but Ndifuna Ukwazi spokesperson Jared Rossouw said this was flawed, and “affordable housing” in the context of the V&A Waterfront would be relative.

“The only housing that’s truly affordable is Community Residential Units and social housing.

“The fact they (provincial government) haven’t mentioned public housing means it could be affordable relative to what’s available in the V&A Waterfront,” said Rossouw.

Siphesihle Dube, spokesperson for Western Cape Public Works MEC Donald Grant, said rezoning of the land was required because the Helen Bowden site was incorrectly zoned as “Open Space”.

“Just because the department goes through a process of rezoning, subdivision and consolidation, does not mean that the property is about to be disposed of.

“The rezoning application to the City outlines a number of proposed releases of the overall site (that is, four phases) and detailed development planning is still required for each precinct,” said Dube.

He said the 300 affordable housing units only relates to the Helen Bowden portion of the site.

“The number is clearly stated as a minimum and was never intended to be a figure for all the affordable housing to be provided across the entire site as and when the various parcels are released,” said Dube.

Other details like the model for cross-subsidisation were not yet available.

See Letters Page 8