Landing rights
The need to upgrade inadequate infrastructure serving some of the dozens of sites in Grahamstown, owned by Makana Municipality and identified for possible sale, could be a major block to the possibility of realising some of the value of the land.
At least two sites in Cradock Heights opposite the old golf course are only suitable for the bravest big developers because the bulk sewerage pipe serving the area is already too small for the existing demand.
A presentation by town planning officials at this week’s local economic development portfolio committee meeting revealed no fewer than 48 pieces of land in and around Grahamstown, of various sizes, zoned for various uses and most of them vacant, that the municipality could profitably sell.
The argument was made that rather than a loss to the municipality, selling off such assets would provide new sources of rates, and investment from the local construction industry.
There are many chicken and egg situations as the municipality struggles to lift itself out of its current dire financial situation (yesterday’s finance portfolio meeting agenda stated it was more than R100 million in debt) and this is one.
In spite of service provider Revco’s efforts, it is reported that income from revenue is still considerably below what it should be. Until that is sorted and there’s a mechanism to get defaulting ratepayers to pay, it’s not clear those potential new rates sources could be relied on.
Still on land matters, a presentation on the Spatial Planning and Land use Management Act (Spluma) explained the flow between policies and legislation, and development plans. According to officials, Makana is well ahead in implementing the Act, which should reduce land use applications from the up to two years it used to take for the province to process them, to a period of between one and three months.
This, and the fact that decisions about land are now made by people who understand local conditions, could be good news for Grahamstown. Because there is no funding for implementing the Act, LED director Riana Meiring said, they hoped to persuade retired professionals to sit on the tribunal pro bono.
The news that plans for a scheduled air service are back on track is sure to be met with “we’ll believe it when we see it”, given the number of times they have been stalled in the past two years.
It does seem, however, that the right ingredients are finally in place to make it happen early next year.