Cyrildene residents object to UDF draft proposal

Property owners joined a petition objecting to the draft proposal of the Cyrildene Urban Development Framework (UDF).

Residents expressed their concerns at the final public participation meeting regarding the UDF, which was held on July 19.

The meeting was held to address the residents’ main concerns, such as crime, overcrowding and parking, and to make proposals for the future development and urban management of the area.

“We refer specifically to the proposed servitude in the residential block of the properties between Esme, Hettic, Friedland and Marcia roads. We feel the public participation process that has been conducted has been divisive and therefore, not reflective of the combined and simultaneous participation of all the owners affected by this proposal,” said Mr Neuren Pietersen.

“We are of the opinion that the communities affected have not been advised nor consulted adequately, effectively and certainly not in a simultaneous meeting. We call upon this process to be halted pending a review, as more transparent discussion needs to be held involving all these owners simultaneously and not a separate meeting platform.

“We appreciate that we are not the only property owners in Cyrildene, but we are the owners directly affected by this draft proposal,” he said.

“The main reason for the servitude to have been proposed was to address the parking issues in Esme Street. We counter-propose and would welcome the council considering the alternative of re-working both shoulders of the pavement for slotted diagonal parking bays to be developed. We look forward to working together towards a better longer term solution,” said Mr Pietersen.

This meeting comes after the Johannesburg Development Agency, on behalf of CoJ Development Planning, appointed the consulting firm VBH Town Planning to investigate the current state of affairs in and around Derrick Avenue in Cyrildene.

Among the people who attended the meeting were the residents of Cyrildene and the ward 118 councillor, Clr Mike Spadino.

Previously reported

The EXPRESS reported in May that at one of the initial public meetings, Mr Steve Baylis of VBH Town Planning discussed the preliminary findings from the socio-economic survey conducted among residents and businesses to determine perceptions of the development.

The survey included strengths of the area such as accessibility, proximity to work and facilities, attractive to Chinese immigrants and businesses.

It also included the weaknesses, which included overcrowding of houses, noise, dumping, unhygienic conditions, insufficient services, parking shortage, failure by the City to address the zoning, illegal building, and urban management in the area.

He said at the time, that the improved integration of Chinatown with the established residential area would be the main thrust of the UDF.

A draft copy of the UDF report and plans will be released to the public in the next few weeks, and a period of time will be given for the public to provide their written comments.

Comments will be considered by council and amendments might be made and will be followed by final approval of the UDF plan by council.

Residents can submit their comments via email to vbh@vhbplan.com