Developer ‘will include’ those opposing koppie development

Residents of Boskruin are still concerned about the disruption of the natural surroundings on the Boskruin Koppie after the possible development plans for a part of the koppie were made public last year.

Based on the objective of the Facebook page Save the Boskruin Koppie, joined by more than 2 300 members, residents are not pleased with a proposed development of units on the koppie.

“We check the papers every week for the notice of the development. We want to oppose it,” said Jacqui Rohloff , Save the Boskruin Koppie committee member.

Like Jacqui, many residents would prefer to uphold the natural beauty of the koppie and protect the animal and plant life found there.

Although the koppie itself is not easily accessible, the adjacent park, Bartlett Park in Boschkop Avenue, is visited by many residents on a daily basis. The natural surroundings in Boskruin is what residents fear will be lost.

However, developer Braam van Niekerk believes many of the residents are under the false impression that the entire koppie will be developed or the development will obstruct the view of the koppie.

“I plan to live there myself because of the natural surroundings, Why would I want to disrupt that? I want the animals to move freely,” he said.

Van Niekerk explained that he plans to build 36, even though there is space for 70, eco-friendly units that are 150 square metres per unit, with basement parking that will not obstruct the view of the koppie. He said that if you were to view the koppie from Bartlett Park, you would not be able to see the development.

“The development will take away only 3,4 percent of the area the animals currently move on. There will also be no rock-blasting.

“No development will take place until all formalities and studies have been completed,” he said.

Van Niekerk believes this process will take a minim of two years before development will start.

The koppie, according to the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) Tendamudzimu Mathagu, Head of Biodiversity Conservation and Management, is protected by a servitude registered over a portion of the private residential properties.

He said development on or around ridges including koppies, protected by the Gauteng Ridges Guideline, is subject to many pieces of environmental legislation and guidelines.

“Ridges are critical for biodiversity conservation. They provide a gradient of habitats thereby increasing biological biodiversity,” he said.

But Mathagu said the entire Boskruin Koppie is not a protected nature reserve because it has not been proclaimed in terms of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act No. 57 of 2003.

“However, it gets its protection from the zoning, ridges guidelines, environmental legislation and other [of the] City’s planning tools,” he said.

Van Niekerk said he does not intend to build on the servitude, but only on the flatter surface of land below the ridge “that is privately owned”. Many houses already occupy parts of the same type of land below the ridge.

Van Niekerk also said he has not yet applied at the City to develop the units but will create a website to inform residents of the process.

“I will keep residents up to date about the process and we intend working closely with the community in doing the right thing,” he said.

The proposal to develop should be made public through a notice in the newspaper as well as on the fence surrounding the area of the proposed development. The public has time thereafter to submit a written objection to the proposed development.

Portion 577 of the Boskruin farm, where the development is set to take place, according to the City, has not yet received a development application. On 27 July, Rohloff also confirmed that there has not yet been a notice in the newspapers.

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