Residents cry foul over Durban estate plans
Pressure group says public opposition to development is huge
● Thousands of residents of an upmarket Durban North suburb are fuming over a R3bn development that will convert the Beachwood golf course into a housing and hotel estate.
Now they are considering their legal options after the municipality dismissed their appeal against the municipal approval of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act application for the development.
The Friends of Beachwood said the public outcry against the development was massive
— a petition with close to 3,000 signatures and almost 1,000 formal objections to the rezoning application. The group said communities were not properly engaged by the city and the developers about the project, with letters sent to only a limited number of residents living near the golf course and minimally beyond the area.
“These letters, which were difficult to comprehend unless you were a lawyer, indicated the intention to develop the golf course. As far as I am aware, most people didn’t read the letters, resulting in little response. Consequently, the developer concluded that the development must have support from the Durban North public. According to the developer, this constitutes extensive public consultation,” said Friends of Beachwood community co-ordinator Dennis Theron.
eThekwini spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the metro sanctioned the Beachwood development on July 24, and the community appeal was heard and dismissed on November 21. Sisilana said the decision was based on solid planning principles and the specialised work submitted by the developer.
According to the developers, the proposed development will benefit the metro and the province’s economy by generating 1,500 direct jobs.
They said this is crucial, especially considering the province’s expanded unemployment rate, which exceeds 50%.
The developers said the footprint of all buildings, roads and pavements to be developed will cover about 23% of the 430,000m2 property, signifying a low-density development.
Theron is asking the municipality for clarity regarding the denial of their application and said they are willing to go to court, which could potentially delay the development for many years.
He said several major issues, including environmental concerns, sewage, water supply and traffic problems remain unresolved by the developer.
“Water supply issues remain unresolved, and road infrastructure is lacking. The potential impact of an additional 1,000 vehicles a day on the existing road infrastructure hasn’t been addressed. Furthermore, there are significant sewerage infrastructure concerns associated with the development.
“The proposed plan involves sacrificing 42ha of invaluable D’Moss [Durban Metropolitan Open Space System] — irreplaceable environmental corridors — for the sake of an exclusive and inaccessible housing estate, solely benefiting the private developer.”
Theron said the community objected to relinquishing a much-loved recreational and environmental asset without alternative options being considered that align with environmental concerns and community aspirations.
He said the area holds potential for a world-class recreational and tourism facility that respects environmental imperatives.
Theron criticised the idea of constructing houses on the land as a “foolish idea” as it is on a flood plain.
He argued that no investment, not even millions of rands, could create a stormwater system capable of handling the catastrophic floods experienced in April 2022, which transformed large portions of the golf course into lakes.
However, developer Gavin Strydom said the development was granted environmental approval in 2021 by the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government.
Strydom said this followed a three-year development application process that included comprehensive public participation with interested and affected parties.
He said the planned development will include extensive rehabilitation of the ecological assets on the site, which have become severely degraded.
“The mangroves have been contaminated by polluted stormwater running off the neighbouring M4 highway, while the dunes have suffered severe erosion and the dune forests have thinned due to unmonitored public parking and illegal dwellers on the property. As part of the development plans, millions of rands have been allocated to rehabilitate these unique natural landscapes.
“This includes building sand filter beds to filter the M4 stormwater before it flows into the mangroves, relocating the car park and illegal dwellers, and planting more than 1.7km of woody tree species to protect the fragile milkwoods on the dunes. Consequently, the development will create a much-improved ecological environment, greatly benefiting the flora and fauna on the site,” said Strydom, adding that surrounding communities will also benefit from the infrastructure upgrades.
He said that once completed, the development will increase public safety as a result of being fully fenced and manned by 24-hour security.
Strydom said millions of rands will be spent on the construction of a new stormwater management system to resolve the occasional flooding of parts of the golf course during torrential rains.
This flooding happens because the stormwater culvert running on the M4 drains onto the property, he said.
Strydom said the development will dramatically enhance the ecological value of the site, attract investment and create significant employment opportunities.
He said there will be 231 residential units in phase 1 for which detailed plans are being drawn up that will be available in January.
“For the second phase, we intend an improved nine-hole signature golf course on the southern side of the property, subject to municipal approval,” he said.
Asked when the work will start, Strydom said the developers have started the building plan approval submission process.
He said construction could start after municipal approval of the plans and that any legal action against it would have no basis in law.
The mangroves have been contaminated while the dunes have suffered severe erosion. Millions of rands have been allocated to rehabilitate these unique natural landscapes
Developer Gavin Strydom, above