The battle to save the Sea Point Pavilion site from rezoning and commercial development will enter a new phase on July 24th when the City of Cape Town’s Good Hope Subcouncil debates a motion of exigency, originally placed before it in September 2007.

The motion stems from a proposal call, initiated by the City of Cape Town in 1998, to develop the then derelict and under utilised area alongside the Sea Point Pavilion swimming pools.

Moosa — development wouldn't proceed

The process of appointing a developer, 'On Track Developments (Pty) Ltd', evolved over a period of close to ten years and although, in 2004, then Minister for the Environment, Valli Moosa announced that the development would not proceed, MEC Tasneem Essop, in August 2007, issued the Record of Decision that allows the development to go forward.

Lorna Levy, a member of SEAFA’s executive, commented today on the Subcouncil resolution: “It is ten years since this unfortunate matter first arose. When we learned in August 2007 that the development was going ahead, we were astounded. However, we were reassured in September 2007 when a motion of exigency to withdraw the Proposal Call and to re-advertise was placed before the Subcouncil. Although the resolution was unanimously adopted, ten months has now passed without the resolution being enacted, nor has it even been taken forward to Council. We cannot understand how, more than ten months later, this has not been given effect.”

Development's approval a disgrace

Said Bennie Rabinowitz, Chairman of SEAFA, speaking from London: “We believe that there is ample justification for withdrawal of the proposal call and, in the process of preparing our supplementary affidavit, even more information supporting this view has come to light. The proposal process is clearly flawed and even the City’s independent legal advice indicates that the call should be withdrawn. It is disgraceful that this development has been approved and that the public should have to fund its opposition.”

Representatives of SEAFA will attend the meeting on July 24th and will be hoping to see the Subcouncil give effect to their resolution.

'Seafront For All' is a non-profit organisation established, on a volunteer basis, by concerned citizens of the Western Cape. Its purpose is the protection and conservation of the public open space along the Atlantic seaboard. In particular, SEAFA aims to preserve the Sea Point Pavilion and Promenade as public open space for the benefit of all.