Community members have again been urged to abide by and follow town planning and building regulations
Ward 18 Ald Heather Hart, Shadow MMC of city planning, appealed to residents to obey the law after highlighting several contraventions.
Hart said that many new residents are moving into Edenvale, properties are changing hands, and in some instances, people do not know the laws and bylaws to abide by.
“Whatever you are doing, whether it is internal or external renovations, visit the city planning offices at the Edenvale customer care centre to inform them of your intent.
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“Even if you are using a reputable builder always be safe and err on the side of caution by visiting the city planning offices to verify if any plans need to be submitted.
“If you don’t need plans then that’s great but if you do need them and continue building without them a civil or criminal case may be brought against you,” said Hart.
“By not abiding by the regulations it is considered breaking the law.”
Hart said the laws in the Building Standards Act and building regulations are quite clear on what is and is not allowed.
“Even if you are building a new perimeter wall, even if it is precast, building plans are needed.”
Hart said the more serious the contravention the more likely the municipality will take action against a property owner.
She said if it is discovered that building work continued without approval the city can obtain a demolition order against the property owner.
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“Storing your building materials or building rubble on the pavement is not allowed,” said Hart.
She said if community members need to store building rubble off their property it must be done so in a municipal skip.
Skips can be loaned from the municipality.
Alternatively, the building rubble should be stored on the property where the construction is occurring.
“At least with a skip the rubble will certainly be taken to the Simmer and Jack Landfill site and not dumped illegally.”
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In addition to building work, Hart said property owners who intend to repurpose their properties for a business must ensure that they have the correct permission and zoning in place.
While developing property, whether it is to rezone a residential property to a business property or to change the residential type of property, the laws and the City of Ekurhuleni regulations need to be followed.
“If you want to generate an income from your property, then owners must ensure that all is in order with city planning.”
