Uitenhage building cause for concern

AS one enters Uitenhage from the R367 into Union Avenue there is a large development on the left-hand side where the old railway nursery used to be.

The land has been cleared and a large building is being erected.

Opposite the building, road works are in progress to provide a bus/taxi drop-off point and a turnoff lane to this new establishment.

What is concerning is that there is no signage describing who is constructing this edifice or what its intended function is.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I am sure that municipal by-laws require that before and during construction of all commercial buildings, a billboard providing this information must be prominently displayed with a contact number on it. Why is this building an exception? According to a news report, this building is a gambling house.

I share the concerns raised in an article in a Uitenhage and Despatch newspaper with respect to the siting of this building, namely that it is situated in a residential area, directly across from the Aandmymering old age home and within a few hundred metres of the Albertyn Primary School.

I feel strongly that, as a ratepayer resident in Uitenhage and a concerned citizen, I have a right to know the answers to the following questions:

ý How was this building site approved by the council and who approved it?

ý Why were the surrounding residents, school and old age home not notified or consulted before this development took place?

ý Who is paying for the alterations to the road? If it is the municipality, then who approved it and how much is it costing us?

ý Can we have comment from the NMB Municipality?

I may indeed have missed replies, comments or other notices, but I would appreciate answers to my questions as I am sure many other citizens would too.

I fear Uitenhage might have been captured!