'Cape zoning laws in danger'

Residents of an upmarket Cape Town suburb fear the city's proposal to amend land use regulations could ultimately block their view of the city and the sea because nearby property owners would be able to build as they pleased.

Camps Bay Ratepayers Association chairman Chris Willemse said the proposed amendment will be considered during a full council sitting this month.

Willemse said the amendment, if allowed, would prevent residents from objecting to property developments that do not comply with the zoning scheme.

Currently sub-councils, which are directly accountable to residents, deal with such issues.

But if the amendments go through, he said, all decisions would be taken by city officials and bureaucratic red tape would hamper residents' complaints.

Willemse accused the city of trying to surreptitiously slip the proposed amendments onto the council's agenda, hoping they would be quietly approved.

"Some nameless, unaccountable official will now make decisions that affect a ratepayer's property rights, and the only way they [will] be able to fight that is through the high court.

"High court cases are anything between R300000 and R1-million," said Willemse.

Camps Bay falls under the Good Hope sub-council as does Hout Bay, Llandudno, Bantry Bay, Clifton and Tamboerskloof.

"The mayor [Patricia de Lille] is quietly attempting to push this amendment through a sitting of a full council scheduled for August while the DA caucus has effectively gagged dissenting councillors," said Willemse.

"It is clear the city is intent on fulfilling Premier [Helen] Zille's promise to developers to take their rather arduous task of personal financial reward from 'red tape to red carpet'.

"And the consequences for long-term sustainability, the environment and constitutional rights, will be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency."

Councillor Garreth Bloor, responsible for economic, environmental and spatial planning, said the amendment was still being considered and the public would be consulted.

He said the proposal was meant to improve the city's planning processes.

"There is a general lack of understanding of the matter," said Bloor.

Willemse urged the public to inundate ward councillors, De Lille and DA offices with calls and e-mails that demand the amendment be struck off the council agenda.