City’s plan to curb urban sprawl

THE City said its revised draft on the Municipal Spatial Development Framework (MSDF), which is out for public comment, seeks to promote development along established transport nodes within the city’s “inner core” and prevent urban sprawl.

Mayco member for transport and urban development Brett Herron said in the next 20 years, the City would be expected to provide 650 000 “housing opportunities”.

The “inner core” includes areas next to the N1, N2, N7 and M5 highways; along the R27 to the north and Main Road to the south.

The area also includes major arteries linking the metro-south east with Bellville and Kuils River and the Cape Town International Airport.

“There is a rapid increase in the number of new households, although the population has increased by 7% between 2011 and 2016, the number of households has increased by 18%.”

He said the idea was to intensify land use in these areas and have a city that develops inwardly, as opposed to the continued urban sprawl, which has seen increased development in an area like Melkbosstrand.

“We’re concerned by urban sprawl, it is contributing to so much traffic congestion in our city.”

He said development had to be encouraged in a place like Atlantis, which has the MyCiTi bus service.

“We need (to) encourage the development along that corridor. It’s a very complex legacy that we’re trying to (reverse).”

Being a former ward 51 councillor, Herron said the framework also addressed families who were displaced by gentrification in Woodstock and Salt River.

Asked about the provincial government’s application to have the Somerset Hospital precinct rezoned for mixed use, Herron said he had not laid eyes on the application, but that it would be considered like any other land use application.

Herron said: “The MSDF is also the principal policy tool when the City evaluates applications for new or enhanced land use rights.”

The draft framework is available for public comment until September 26, 2017.