Dwindling support concerns Nora

The pandemic and lockdown have had serious impacts to businesses on Grant Avenue according to the Norwood Orchards Residents Association (Nora).

Chairman Brett McDougall said, on behalf of the association, that many businesses have closed and those that have survived are barely making a profit. “We need to support our high street and buy local. Nora has made a significant contribution to the beautification and cleanliness of Grant Avenue over the last few years, and our cleaner works on the street twice a week but with dwindling support we don’t know how much longer we can sustain this,” he said.

He added that ‘subs contributions’ (financial contributions made by residents and businesses in the suburb) have decreased by over 60 per cent. They have also been unable to run the annual Love Norwood Day that raises funds for the continued maintenance of Norwood Park.

McDougall said, “Our role in the maintenance of public spaces is becoming more important than ever. Budget cuts at the City of Joburg mean that most of our parks are only cleaned and maintained once every three weeks. We’ve also seen an influx of the homeless into our parks. Despite all of this, Nora is doing more than ever.”

He said Norwood Park is one of the best maintained in the city – the Gardens Conservancy has also recently been opened after funding by the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation helped restore eroded river beds, and committee member Trevor Lunt has raised funds to fence Pretoria Street Bridge Park and is working with volunteers to clean and maintain it.

The chairman said town planning and heritage applications slowed during lockdown but their neighbourhood can be proud of the association’s contribution in getting the Skydeck applicants to withdraw their development application. The Skydeck was a proposal to build a petrol station over the M1 highway from the open piece of land between two rivers near Melrose Arch. Nora is strongly opposed to the development because, according to them, it is situated on the confluence of the Sandspruit and the Orange Grove Stream, and is therefore completely unsuitable for a petrol station with underground tanks; the area is well served with petrol stations already; and it will result in further congestion on Athol-Oaklands Road over the highway.

“We’re really grateful that we can rely on other neighbourhood organisations. Colin Wasserfall is doing a superb job as chair of the Norwood Community Police Forum (NCPF), and Emily Bain and Noah Can have worked miracles in supporting hungry families in Orange Grove,” said McDougall.

He further said in difficult times, residents often respond by building walls; not engaging with their communities, applying for security access restrictions to keep the problem away from their front door; but this is not sustainable. “You may build fences but if Grant Avenue dies and our parks are not maintained and become overrun with drugs and other criminal activities, how long do you think your property will maintain its value and how long will you want to stay in it? Now, more than ever, residents and businesses need to contribute to Nora, the NCPF and Noah Can to build stronger, sustainable communities.”

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