RESIDENTS living in Bowen Avenue, Glenmore, are frustrated at the slow action by city officials to deal with a neighbour’s plans to establish student accommodation in containers on a property in the road.
Resident, Dr Patricia Makan said the owner bought the property about seven months ago and around June started cutting down trees on the site.
When residents asked the owner what her plans were, she mentioned she would be establishing student accommodation on the property.
“We didn’t think much of it at the time as the previous owner had had around 10 students living in the house. On occasion there was noise, and if I complained, they would apologise and quieten down, so we didn’t have an issue with this,” said Dr Makan.
However, Makan and other neighbouring residents were surprised in September to see that five containers had been moved onto the front of the property. When they questioned the owner, she said they were to house students. At the time, Makan contacted the municipality but got no response initially from the building inspectorate.
Over the next few months residents were shocked to see more containers being moved onto the back of the property, some being stacked on top of the others.
“We sent a second email on 3 November to the building inspectorate outlining the problem, and we were then passed around from one person to the next. Ward 33 councillor Mmabatho Tembe responded, however she said this was not her ward, and she put us on to land use management. On 19 November we were told that a contravention notice and stop work notice had been served on the owner as she needed to apply for special consent. We were told this would be handed to law enforcement. We contacted law enforcement on 27 November as this was now urgent, but were told the complaint couldn’t be found on the records,” she said.
Makan again contacted the building inspectorate asking for urgent intervention. She said on 5 December a law enforcement officer got back to her to say they had been on site and had issued the owner with a summons for building without approved plans, but despite this, building still continued on the property.
She wrote to Eric Parker from land use management to say residents objected to the student accommodation being built as this would affect property values, and they were concerned about the condition students would be living in.
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“I was told students would be living two to a container. We as residents are also concerned about ablution facilities, the added pressure to the sewage lines with the increase in the number of people living on the property, and the lack of drainage. For us it is the number of atrocious structures, it is like an industrial park. This is just someone who has seen the chance to make a quick buck with no consideration for the law or their neighbours,” she said.
Makan and other neighbours said although the orders have been served, nothing has changed on site. Work is ongoing, and mattresses and fridges have been seen going into the containers.
“Work is continuing at a frantic pace. Corrugated metal roofs have been put up and rooms are furnished. One of the roofs extended onto our property and my husband had to ask the owner to cut it back. On 16 December we emailed the building inspectorate indicating we suspected corruption because the owner was continuing with such flagrant disregard for the law. Also, we have found out that the municipality has got the owner in touch with a new architect to alter her plans so that they are compliant with rezoning rules. I met the architect accidently when he was waiting to meet the owner outside and he told me this directly. This does not make sense because the building work is all but complete. We question whether they are going to pass a plan that does not reflect what exists on the ground. The owner has also confirmed to my husband that she is waiting for the architect to alter her plans,” said Makan, adding that they have heard nothing further from the municipality.
Speaking to Berea Mail in a telephone interview, the owner of the property confirmed that plans had not been approved for building on site. The woman said it was taking too long and that the plans were still being processed. She also confirmed that she had not sought approval from neighbours regarding the student container accommodation. “I will be meeting with my architect and the municipality tomorrow [Wednesday], ” she said.
EThekwini Municipality’s Spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said: “The enforcement notice in terms of the town planning regulations was served on 29 November. The follow-up inspection will be conducted soon.”
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