Row over oldies' village for Plett

A PROPOSAL to build a retirement village for foreigners in Plettenberg Bay has ignited a legal row in the politically charged Garden Route town.

Permission to build 173 retirement units on a farm outside the town was denied by the Western Cape local government, environmental affairs and development planning MEC, Anton Bredell. This prompted a legal standoff between the developer and the government.

Bredell found himself on the back foot when documents submitted to court by the town's planning chief accused him of undermining the development of the area.

This and other allegations are contained in a 28-page affidavit by the former head of town planning in the Bitou town council, Ludolph Gericke, who has since resigned.

Bredell tried to have portions of Gericke's affidavit removed from the court record via a separate court action that failed. Instead, he was allowed to submit a supplementary affidavit to counter Gericke's allegations.

The proposed Clairisons retirement complex would comprise dwelling units, a frail-care centre, a clubhouse, administration offices and a "pensioner-friendly" small business zone featuring a physiotherapy centre, hair salons and a convenience store.

Bredell's spokesman, Aziel Gangerdine, this week confirmed that the MEC took steps to counter Gericke's affidavit, which, he said, contained "a wide-ranging attack on the MEC's decision ... as well as on other matters not directly related to the Clairisons matter".

Some residents view the row as a symptom of simmering political rivalry in the town.

Gericke was a long-serving town planner of the former ANC-controlled Bitou council, now under DA-control.

While under ANC-control, the council clashed regularly with the DA-led provincial government over various local government issues, including the town airport and a proposed development close to Nature's Valley.

Political rivalry has also prompted riots in the town in recent months.

This week, a large mob blocked roads and burnt down part of the town's industrial complex.

In his affidavit, Gericke accused Bredell of obstructing the growth of the town by abusing his regulatory powers in blocking the retirement village.

This, he said, was despite its development being supported by the municipality and Bredell's ANC predecessor, Pierre Uys.

"It cannot reasonably be argued that the proposed development of a retirement village with less than 200 units on the property constitutes provincial planning," Gericke said.

The case was heard this week in the High Court in Cape Town.