Another court victory for River Club developers but main showdown looms

The multibillion-rand River Club development in Cape Town is a step closer to finality after a ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).

The SCA on Monday dismissed an appeal application from the Observatory Civic Association, a community-led group trying to prevent construction at the site where tenants will include the Africa headquarters of online retail giant Amazon.

The association attempted to interdict developers from going ahead with construction pending a broader court showdown over the development approvals.

Construction will now continue with no end in sight for the main court hearing.

The developers, Liesbeek Leisure Properties Trust, welcomed the ruling and lambasted the association for its “inappropriate strategy to try to stop the development at all costs”.

“This judgment by the SCA is another win for the residents of Cape Town, who stand to gain from the numerous benefits the development will deliver and is implementing, including 6,000 direct and 19,000 indirect jobs and the Cape Peninsula Khoi memorialising their cultural heritage associated with the area, including the establishment of a heritage, cultural and media centre,” the company said on Wednesday.

“The project will also deliver developer-subsidised affordable housing, safe and accessible green parks and gardens, significant roads and other infrastructure upgrades in the area and the major rehabilitation of the polluted and degraded waterways adjacent to the property.”

However, critics of the development believe it is an “insult” to the site’s heritage value as a historic boundary zone between the Khoi and European settlers during the early colonial period. Some stakeholders claim the land, which used to be owned by Transnet, should have been used for land reform and not sold to private developers. 

The main court review, likely to start later this year, will focus largely on project approvals by the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape government.

This article will be updated with comment from the association once it becomes available.  

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