It all started with three concerned Green Point residents, realising the importance of public participation regarding open spaces and calling a meeting with the City of Cape Town to discuss, among others, the new Green Point stadium.
This is how the Green Point Ratepayers and Residents’ Association (GPRRA) was formed more than a decade ago.
This month, the association commemorates 15 years of caring for the interests of the community.
Liz Knight, GPRRA co-chair, says founding members Jenny McQueen, Claudia Scherer and James Loock realised how essential it was for residents to participate and comment on decisions on open spaces, particularly the Green Point Common.
Knight says: “At the same time, there was a growing awareness of the requisite to protect the historic vernacular and Victorian architecture of our village as well as to monitor human and natural interactions.”
She says two sub-committees were formed: Built Environment (BEC) and Human Environment (HEC).
“With six other volunteers, the GPPRA began a legacy of questioning and agitating in the interests of the community. Today, there is also a dedicated Events Committee that manages each event application as well as the impact of the events on the committee.”
To mark the milestone, the GPRRA will hold its AGM on Wednesday 20 July at the Hamilton Rugby Club following a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The day will also see the launch of their new website.
Knight says over the past 15 years, they celebrated the implementation of many successful projects. She explains that with the planned appropriation of a large part of the Green Point Common for the stadium, the committee was able to negotiate on and leverage for the protection and upgrade of public open spaces.
She says this saw the development of the Green Point Urban Park and the upgrades to the Sea Point promenade.
“In April 2015, GPRRA commissioned Dr Antonia Malan, a heritage expert, to submit a motivation to Heritage Western Cape (HWC) to nominate Green Point Common as a Provincial Heritage Site on a national level. The City acknowledged its cultural, historical and social significance as an important sporting, recreational and public open space.”
According to Knight, as far back as 1923, the Common was vested in perpetuity to the people of Cape Town for sports and recreational purposes.
“After intense lobbying by the GPRRA, it was declared as such by HWC in March 2018, conditional on the approval of a required conservation management plan under which the City will operate the Common. We expect it will be approved by HWC in the near future.”
She says the BEC works, among others, to ensure that residents are part of the public participation process to prevent unauthorised lifting of title deeds.
“Despite constant applications for the lifting of restrictions to build, for example, seven apartments, the BEC has managed to protect Braemar Estate. The estate comprises houses along Braemar Road and all the way up to Merriman Road. It was established by the Wessels family in the late 1930s with a strict bylaw that limits each property to a single dwelling.”
Since 2017, GPRRA’s Friends of Green Point Lanes has invested time and funds to transform the once derelict historic network of lanes and steps.
“We benefit from a team of four gardeners/cleaners assigned by Peter Cookson (City’s Social Development) based on our support for his programmes, primarily to fund IDs and bus fares for repatriation.”
Knight says people living on the streets in the area and those parking at the Cape Town stadium during events remain some of the challenges faced by the GPRRA.
She says they would like to see the City’s programmes relating to street people making a positive impact.
“The City has been addressing the crises since January, culminating with the approval of a budget of R142 million to expand its Safe Space accommodation programme. There are two more facilities currently in progress. (“Safe Space celebrates four years”, People’s Post, 5 July)”
According to Knight, they work with the City’s social development field workers.
“The emphasis is on assisting them to move off the street and offering strategic, long-term rehabilitation solutions. The success of interventions by the fieldworkers can be judged by the 83 IDs we have funded (value R11, 620) in the past six months. The funding of bus fares is also crucial for those wishing to return home to families.”
Knight says they have several goals and projects which they would like to kickstart.
“After four years, we would like to see the extension of Marc Truss’s Green Point City Improvement District (GPCID) along Main Road (from the Traffic Department to Ultra Liquors) become a reality. The area situated between two CIDs (De Waterkant and Sea Point) makes our Main Road particularly vulnerable, referred to as ‘No Man’s Land’.”
According to Knight, the GPRRA is part of the steering committee which is engaging with property owners to ensure the approval of the additional levy under the Special Ratings Area (SRA) for additional top-up services.
“A 60 +1% majority is required from the registered property owners within the designated area. Based on current support, this can be achieved by the September deadline. Stats reveal a reduction in crime by a minimum of 50% since the establishment of the Green Point City Improvement District (GPCID) in July 2001. All these factors have created an environment for investment by property developers estimated at over R3 billion in De Waterkant.”
She says the City’s events department must find a solution to the parking gridlock created by those attending events at the stadium and says they must consider returning to the system of residential park permits.
Knight calls on more residents to form part of the team.
“The current committee members are very overstretched with the heavy load of responsibilities, so we are reaching out to other Green Point residents to join our committee. We need help in the IT ‘department’, managing our membership list, analysing.”
