Bulwer Road tenants forced to vacate to make way for student housing

RESIDENTS and business owners neighbouring a block of flats, Craiglee, in Bulwer Road, have expressed concern after learning that the property had been sold to make way for a student residence.

The news came as a shock to long-time tenants Karl and Charmaine Kiloh who have rented a flat in the block for 15 years and were unexpectedly given notice to vacate the premises by month end.

In the meantime, contractors are furiously busy undertaking renovations in vacant units in the block.

Karl, who is a paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair, said in May this year, Wakefields, the administrators of the property, sent his family an eviction notice as the building had apparently been sold and they were given until 31 July to vacate.

“Once I received the notice I immediately started looking for alternative accommodation, however to no avail. Because I am wheelchair-bound we require a ground floor flat or a flat in a block with a working elevator to transport,” he said.

Karl’s mother, Charmaine, said the other offers that had been suggested to the family were above their price range, and, as they had no transport, were too far away from her other son’s work place, as well as the shops.

Shortly after receiving the notice to vacate in May, a second notice was sent on 18 June claiming that the building had not been sold and that they would not be required to vacate by the end of July.

“This was the last communication between the property managing agents and myself, so our minds were at ease and the situation a little less stressful,” he said.

However, on 4 September, Karl said he noticed two men assessing the property and speaking about alterations, and confronted them.

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“They said that the building had been bought by Durban University of Technology (DUT) and was scheduled to be converted into student housing. They said if we did not vacate the flat, we wouldn’t be able to enter our unit as they would be working on the exterior and entrance area,” he said.

The news was confirmed on 12 September when he received another letter requesting they vacate the premises by 31 October.

A recent post on social media regarding the planned student res garnered a number of angry comments from residents.

The post noted the impact this would have on real estate value and businesses in the area, as well as high levels of noise pollution.

Residents complained that there had been no consultation regarding the plan to convert the property into student accommodation.

Max Pienaar from Savior Cafe, situated adjacent to the block of flats, said: “We’re unhappy about how the process is taking place, there has been no transparency and we are struggling to get any information from anyone. Renovations have started with them working seven days a week. We have tried to interact with the contractors but they are not saying anything,” he said, adding that most of the people living in Ferguson Road were not in favour of the proposed development.

Despite reports that DUT had bought the property, Alan Khan, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs at the Durban University of Technology, denied the allegation.

“According to the Student Housing Department at the Durban University of Technology, the block of flats is not a DUT student residence,” he said.

Responding to queries by Berea Mail, Warren Wakefield, Finance Director of Wakefields, confirmed the company was no longer the managing agents.

“The building has been sold. Transfer went through in early September. It is our understanding that the purchaser plans to convert the property to student accommodation but we are not aware of any specifics beyond that,” he said.

No response had been received by eThekwini Municipality at time of going to print, however, in response to a resident’s query, a municipal building inspector stated the matter would be logged for investigation.

AMAFA comments

Commenting on the heritage value of the building, Ros Devereux, Head of the Built Environment Section at KZN Amafa and Research Institute, said the Institute was seldom made aware of any property transactions on generally protected buildings such as Craiglee which is over 60 years old.

“The building was probably built in the 1940s and can be placed in the Mid-Century Modern period. This building is next to a significant heritage building that is listed in the Heritage Register. The Institute would be concerned if the current use were to be changed to something that would impact negatively on the sustainability of the listed heritage resources in the area,” she said.

She said due to its age, any alterations would have to receive prior approval from the Institute – the KZN Provincial Heritage Resources Authority – as well as from the Municipality before work could be undertaken.

Anyone buying a building that appears to be over 60 years of age should send a photograph/s of the building to built.enviro@amafapmb.co.za to check whether there are  any restrictions on any alterations that the buyer may wish to implement.

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