Community seeks commitment
KYALAMI - Job creation and environmental and planning policy issues remain top objections for interested parties on the proposed Riversands Farm development.
The public voiced their opinions at the second public meeting at Riversands Farm on 26 June on the application to amend city council’s Spatial Planning Policy in the vicinity of the farm.
Century Property Developments plans to develop a mixed-use development to include residential and light industrial activities and develop skills with a Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises Incubation Hub.
First, the Land Use Management Schedules needed to be amended to include light industrial and commercial uses within the node.
Town planners, Urban Dynamics, said Century did not believe that more residential developments should be added to the area without creating more jobs. This has stirred the Diepsloot community to support the development but they called for commitment.
Chairman of the Diepsloot Youth Forum Loyiso Toyiya said the development proposal sounded like a remedy to solve the problems of Diepsloot’s youth but warned that if jobs were not created for Diepsloot people as suggested, the people would be angry at the empty promises.
Ward 93 councillor Annette Deppe said, “Promises are being made and assumptions are being given that the development will create jobs. Temporary jobs will be created by the construction. To promise that permanent jobs will be created for Diepsloot residents in the completed business node is empty dreaming at best, deceit of the most vulnerable at worst.
“Let the private land development company build houses in this residential area. Let the government build the needed business node on government-owned land closer to the highways where there is easier access and already more noise and traffic.”
The Kyalami community raised concern on how the development would affect the rural-equine lifestyle. Environmental issues such as the loss of open space, pollution and impact on conservancy remained high and many were concerned that city council was not honouring its policy to maintain open space if the application was approved.
Engineering worries such as storm water management and soil erosion were also on the agenda but Urban Dynamics countered that these should be taken care of in any development.
Urban Dynamics said after the first meeting, 34 written comments were received, 24 of which were residents, six were businesses and five were organisations from the Diepsloot and Kyalami communities.
