Nevada Group holds meeting with Modderfontein residents

A meeting was convened between a group of Modderfontein residents and the Nevada Group management on Wednesday, February 10.

This is after some residents raised concerns about lack of consultation regarding the proposed development of the Lakeside Shopping Centre in the area.

Some of the of concerns raised by residents included the architectural designs of the shopping centre, and they wondered if the centre would blend in and represent the culture and history of Lakeside.

Ward Councillor Bongani Nkomo said the developer mentioned that it had considered that and was working on designs that it would present to the public in due course. He said residents were also concerned about the construction process and whether the developer considered the pollution and noise.

“Residents are also worried about their privacy. The Lakeside residents believe that they would lose a lot of privacy due to the tallness of centre.

Residents also raised the issue of the trees and forest life in the area and wanted to know if the developer would remove all the trees within the designated area.

“The developer committed to establishing a nursery which would serve the purpose of growing trees that would eventually replace those that have fallen. The developer also committed to introducing a screen fence on the Lakeside Village boundary wall to address this,”said Clr Nkomo.

He said that going forward the developer was committed to working very closely with the residents to ensure minimal effects through various measures.

“I raised the point of conducting a town hall meeting to inform all residents of the proposed development and address their issues. The developer proposed more intimate meetings where it would provide details and address specific questions. This was agreed upon as it was very constructive, considering the success of the current meeting,” said Clr Nkomo.

He said even though the mood was tense in the beginning, the developer displayed a desire to work with the community in all aspects. He said further meetings would be initiated to get commitments in writing.

Nevada Group was not available to comment at the time of going to print.