The Parkview residents skeptical about the Nodal Review
PARKVIEW – The PRA expresses its concerns about the possible approval of the Nodal Review by the City of Johannesburg.
A number of residents associations have contacted the City of Johannesburg raising concerns about the proposed Nodal Review. The Parkview Residents Association (PRA) were among those associations who raised concerns about the possible approval of the review which is an update of the current Spatial Development Framework 2040 (SDF 2040).
According to the SDF 2040 by the City in 2016, development should be directed in a way that addresses the inequality and inefficiency in the City; transforming it into a more equitable, liveable, resilient, efficient and productive urban form. The development promotes mixed-used and higher densification in and around nodes which include, Randburg, Sandton, and Rosebank.
Nodal Review introduces new development zones which have developed guidelines linked to them. Parkview will fall into either a suburban zone with a proposed minimum density of 40 to 50 dwellings per hectare or a general urban zone with a proposed minimum density of 60 dwellings per hectare. The current density in Parkview and Greenside East is predominantly 10 dwelling units per hectare.
However, according to PRA chairman, Marian Hester, the association wishes to draw attention to the implications of the review for established neighbourhoods, (among other concerns).
“In Parkview, it is a five-fold increase in density, which will bring enormous pressure to bear on schools and ageing infrastructure. There has been no referral of the final version to the interested and affected parties who participated in the limited public consultation.”
She added that the review was adopted by the mayoral committee in December 2018, but final approval has been postponed, in part possibly due to the outcry of people who have become aware of the implications and have written directly to the executive mayor in this regard.
MMC for Development Planning, Reuben Masango said throughout the process of developing the review, public participation was undertaken and the City is of the view that the public participation was adequate. “It must be noted that the Nodal Review is not the final say on development, and every land use application resulting from the review (or from any other spatial policy for that matter) will go through a public participation process as per the Johannesburg Municipal Planning By-Law 2016,” said Masango.
Hester said the only real constraint on approval is whether there is adequate infrastructure capacity and the proposal contains no limitations to take account of heritage or environmental constraints. However, Masango said the review does not try to replicate environmental nor heritage policy or legislation, and also acknowledges that development should not be supported where infrastructure is not available.
Ward 87 councillor Bridget Steer said she had personally engaged with the MMC on the concerns raised by various stakeholders in the ward and he had agreed to meet with them to discuss as soon as details were confirmed.
Details: Parkview Residents’ Association info@parkview.org.za
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