PROPOSED social housing in and around Durban by the eThekwini Municipality is a tricky and sensitive matter, says ward 27 councillor Martin Meyer.
Meyer said while he felt positive about proposed social housing developments in his ward, he had concerns regarding infrastructure and schooling with the increase in people living in the ward.
The site earmarked for social housing development in ward 27 has been revealed to be the land on which the now dysfunctional Stamford Hill Bowling Club is situated, including the underutilised badminton hall and the area that extends to train station along Umgeni Road.
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“Council has proposed to build 1488 units on this land in tower blocks. Residents who are concerned about this project need to understand that this will not be RDP housing. People have to be employed to qualify for these units and need to earn between R1 500 and R15 000 a month. The idea behind this project is to provide accommodation for people to live closer to their workplaces in the city, for example for domestic workers who have to get up at 4am to get to work and then spend 50 per cent of their income on transport,” he said.
Meyer said he was not against the proposed project, but his concerns were that the infrastructure in the area was already not coping and a massive upgrade was needed. He said schools in the area were also already full to capacity and that there was no clinic in the ward.
“I think this is a great idea, but the municipality will have to look at these issues. This is going to be a slow and long process. The plans are in motion and there are positives and negatives, but people need to look at the bigger picture,” he said.
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