Seeing the housing potential in high-rise flats, redesigned spaces and putting the community’s ideas to action.
This is the focus of collaborative efforts facilitated by the Mitchell’s Plain United Residents’ Association (Mura) and the Development Action Group (Dag).
On Saturday 14 May, the entities held the second in a series of workshops, looking at the re-imagining of Eastridge.
This area geographically includes the Town Centre and the Mitchell’s Plain central business district (CBD).
The project has come a long way since Mura first set its sights on finding ways to reinvigorate Mitchell’s Plain. Zoning in on the potential in Eastridge, a magazine, outlining the problems and potential solutions in the area, was published. The workshops aim to involve the community in creating a workable plan to take to stakeholders.
Norman Janjes, Mura chair, says this is an ongoing process.
“This is the second workshop of many to look at how we can make Eastridge a great place to live and work,” he says.
“We have met with the ward councillor to inform him about what we are doing and, eventually, we want to take this to the mayor and premier to engage with them on our ideas, but we still have a long way to go.”
Janjes says the goal is not to merely present, but to get the input of residents.
At the recent workshop, Ryan Fester, a Dag project coordinator, presented a case study of a community organisation called Ndifuna Ukwazi who fought to stop the sale of government land for private development in Sea Point.
Fester says this is to show what is possible in Mitchell’s Plain.
In the Sea Point presentation, the group had designed several buildings and solutions for affordable housing, arguing that no affordable housing exists close to economic centres such as the Cape Town CBD.
Fester says: “We are not going to copy this, this is just so that we can see what ideas are out there and to look at proposals that can inform ideas.”
The goal is to create workable ideas to present to the government for implementation before government-owned land parcels are sold to private developers.
“Government land should benefit the community,” says Fester.
In the Eastridge community, several problem areas and social ills have been identified, including drugs and gangsterism, but the aim of this plan is to work together to build a more positive and productive area, with opportunities for the community through regeneration and developing its potential.
Three land parcels, adding up to 4,3 hectares in total, have already been identified as part of the working plan.
These three erfs are located between the Town Centre and Liberty Promenade Mall and can accommodate up to 200 single residential units. This number could be closer to 1 000 housing opportunities if blocks of flats were to be built.
At the workshop, participants were encouraged to break up into groups to discuss potential ideas for development of this land, based on the unique needs of the community.
For information on future workshops, follow Mura on social media.
