EDITOR – Many ratepayers who live on the Berea and elsewhere in Durban, must wonder what all the fuss is about, when a civic organisation like Save Our Berea makes a stand on town planning issues and rezonings.
We are not against development and progress. Nor do we want to retain the status quo. Yes, we want to preserve what is worth keeping but not at the expense of exciting architecture by our new and upcoming architects of all cultures. We realise that change is essential for any community to grow, especially a multi-cultural community like the Berea.
Our town planning regulations are in place after many years of tried and tested methods by experts in that field. Every so often, highly paid consultants will review a town planning scheme, and necessary changes are recommended, all of which go through a transparent public process.
Without being melodramatic, the whole town planning exercise is under serious threat by the very people who should be looking after our interests. The decisions coming out of the Land Use Management department of the city and the planning sub-committee are horrendous to say the least. They ignore all the tried and tested methods and the question that begs an answer is, why are they doing this?
The recent rezoning application approved by the planning committee in Poynton Place is a case in point. For the life of me I cannot understand why a developer is granted a rezoning, in an area that the city's expensive consultants say should remain as is. Why are the 47 objections ignored and the very weak reasons given by the developer are accepted? Why are these politicians not listening to the people? Is there some hidden agenda that we don't not know about?
As you read this, the issues are in Poynton Place, Currie Road, Lambert Road or elsewhere. They don't affect you directly you say, but let me warn you, tommorow it could be next door to you, and you too will see the biggest investment you ever made in your life eroded by an unscrupulous developer let loose with the full permission of your city council. There are many good developers adding to the fabric of our society but also many who are not and are just driven by profit at the expense of all else. The time to stand up and be counted is now!
To paraphrase Edmund Burke's famous quote: “the only thing necessary for the truimph of evil, is for good people to do nothing.”
The process for these matters is totally inadequate. Ratepayers cannot be expected to be town-planning experts and so we are being steam rolled because we assume incorrectly, that surely those that have been elected will protect our interests. But you could not be more wrong.
This is serious stuff. Every concerned citizen of Durban needs to become an activist. It is no longer enough to sit back and say it is somebody else's problem.
Act now!
Kevin Dunkley
Save Our Berea
