Iconic café safe – for now

THE iconic Deer Park Café is safe for the moment, after Heritage Western Cape (HWC) rejected the developer’s revised building proposal, flagging a number of concerns.

HWC now awaits revised proposals which should include, among other elements initially missing, the backdrop of Table Mountain as a heritage resource in key drawings.

The Deer Park Café demolition case appeared before HWC’s Built Environment and Landscapes committee on Wednesday last week.

Members of the Vredehoek community are up in arms against the demolition of the café, which has been earmarked for a proposed four-storey development.

The building, in Deer Park Drive, houses the popular Woodlands Eatery, Con Brio and Deer Park Café.

The community appealed to HWC, saying they felt they were not given enough time to comment on the proposed demolition, and that the development, understood to be a 31-apartment building, would be inappropriate for the neighbourhood.

The agenda for Wednesday’s meeting noted a revised proposal would be tabled.

Despite reports that residents’ submissions had been rejected, this was not the case, HWC chief executive Dr Mxolisi Dlamuka said.

“The committee reviewed the proposals for the replacement structure and found the structure to not be fully in keeping with the analysis of the heritage design indicators.

“The committee awaits revised proposals which respond to the committee’s concerns relating to, among other things, massing and landscaping, which are to be informed by the heritage design indicators,” he said.

Further requirements include Table Mountain featured in key drawings.