Vacant piece of land in Lonehill sparks concern
LONEHILL– A Lonehill community member said they were very concerned that the vacant land left by Shady Deals Nursery might lead to erection of illegal homes.
Residents of Lonehill and surrounding suburbs have raised safety concerns about a vacant piece of land on the corner of Witkoppen and Main roads after a local nursery relocated from the property.
Shady Deals Nursery, which had been operating from the location since 2006, had to vacate the land in July this year after the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development in the province did not renew the lease.
Lonehill resident Renate Schubert said she was very concerned that the vacant land might lead to the erection of illegal homes in the area and become a crime hotspot.
“We have recently had two meetings with Ward 93 and 94 councillors over this issue. As residents, we’ve agreed that our priority will be to secure the property in the short term. We are extremely anxious about the threat of informal homes being built on the site as an overflow from Clay Oven and the Brecknock Agricultural Holdings informal settlements,” she added.
Shady Deals Nursery owner Don Williams said they had relocated to a new property because their lease expired and the department did not show interest in renewing it. “When we came here in August 2006, this place was a forest and crime hotspot, we cleared the forest and turned it into a safe intersection to drive into,” he added.
Williams said their lease expired in November 2018. “We have been trying to get clarification regarding the new lease since June 2017 after we received news that the Department of Transport was planning to expand Main Road which our nursery was located along,” he added.
Ward 94 councillor David Foley said he was working closely with the community to have the property fenced. “Lonehill Residents Association had embarked on a fundraising initiative to have the site fenced. We have had two meetings with the residents and the main concern is safety and fear of illegal shacks being erected on this piece of land. We will work together with all communities involved to find a solution to this,” Foley added.
Department of Infrastructure Development spokesperson Bongiwe Gambu said the department was facilitating the lease renewal with Estriwell (Pty) Ltd which owns Shady Deals Nursery. She said, “The department had requested Gauteng Department of Road and Transport [DRT] to confirm if these portions had been previously expropriated by them [DRT], and also requested a future use mandate to lease out the property to Estriwell (Pty) Ltd and the period of lease. To date the future use mandate has not been received.”
Gauteng Department of Road and Transport spokesperson, Theo Nkonki said their department was conducting environmental studies in the area. “It is one of the projects that is high on our list of priorities. I cannot at the moment confirm when the actual road construction project will commence. We do not encourage residents to fence the area because it remains government’s property,” Nkonki said.
Details: Lonehill Residents Association
011 465 9196; accounts@lra.org.za
