Letter to Atlantic Sun: The Atlantic Sun article “Progress on School expansion” dated 22 August refers.

Chris Willemse, Chair, Camps Bay Ratepayers and Residents Association (CBRRA)

The Atlantic Sun article “Progress on School expansion” dated 22 August refers.

For a considerable time now, the Camps Bay Ratepayers and Residents Association (CBRRA) has been attempting to assist the Camps Bay Preparatory School (CBPPS) and the Camps Bay Bowling Club (CBBC) to arrive at a workable compromise in respect of the mutually beneficial use of the City land which is leased from the City by the CBBC. While it is common cause, at first glance, that the CBPPS is turning away many applicants due to “lack of space” and the CBBC is perceived to be unsustainable and is allegedly underutilizing its leased property area, the circumstances surrounding the above conclusions need to be carefully examined in respect of their accuracy.

The following is common cause:

1.  The CBBC has been in existence in Camps Bay since 1920 and serves the Community by offering a viable bowling club for its members and, at the same time, permitting its premises to be used by a host of community-orientated activities, such as karate, Pilates, ballroom dancing, line dancing, bridge club and various community activities such as a regular supper club, wedding receptions, anniversary celebrations, committee and political meetings etc.
Since the demise of the Civic Centre, this has been the only viable place of assembly available to the public at large.

2.  As recently as March 2013, the City acknowledged the feasibility of the CBBC as a bowling club and in addition as a multi-usage venue for the above community-based activities as well as a meeting place for public meetings. It is wrong that the CBBC should read of this major change of plan by the City through the press, as it smacks of political interference.

3.  Over the period of its existing lease, the bowling club has, at its own cost, erected a considerable amount of improvements on the property, running into millions of rands, for which, if its lease is going to be peremptorily cancelled, it must be compensated in full on a Quantity Surveyor’s current estimate of cost by the new owner of the property.

4.  The presence of the bowling club in Camps Bay for many years has been a feature of the central village area and of significant historical and architectural value, which cannot be swept aside by a simple bureaucratic action without any public participation by the relevant authorities whatsoever, and without reference to the Heritage Western Cape Committee and a thorough EIA process. The clubhouse is the only place in Camps Bay, which has a record of many generations of residents over an extended period, and, as such, has a considerable historic value.

5.   The way Mayco Member (and deputy Mayor) Ald. Ian Nelson is being quoted, the impression is given that the decision by the City to accept the Provincial Government’s request for the land has been decided in the affirmative and that the only real issue now at stake is to agree a market-related value.
This is a cause for great concern by the CBRRA. It would appear as if City-owned land is simply being expropriated without any due process and, more importantly, without public participation. This land is zoned, in the main, as public open space, which is a scarce resource given the developmental pressure on land in the City.

6. Clearly, even with the City’s apparent lack of concern for any form of public participation and possibly coming to an agreement with the Province behind closed doors, there is a long process of re-zoning and consideration of the title deed restrictions that govern the 6 separate erven that make up this site.
In fact, the City’s Director of Planning, Cheryl Walters, warns: ”In statutory terms a re-zoning could take between four and seven months from the date of submission of a completed application.  This would exclude any potential rights of appeal”.
This could possibly extend the rezoning procedure to a few years.
The possibility of the City unilaterally terminating its valid lease with the CBBC, completing the re-zonings and other statutory processes and the CBPS moving onto the premises by the beginning of 2014 is remote, to say the least.

The CBPPS’s need for additional expansion requirements is common cause.
The historical reasons for the present situation result from the ongoing increase in the Camps Bay population, which, after all, should be the primary reason for the school’s existence.
Without debating the merits or otherwise of admitting pupils from far or adjoining suburbs in preference to Camps Bay pupils; the size of the school must always be able to cope with this core pupil population.

With the above in mind, CBBRA is convinced that this very valuable property is far too important for restricted use and must be utilized by as much as is possible of the whole population of Camps Bay.

CBRRA’s architects have produced sketch plans that clearly indicate that a shared option could work and that the time-line to assist the CBPPS with additional space could be dramatically reduced by following this route. The current large parking area could easily be reduced, thereby making an area available for a playground and/or a few classrooms. The proposal that 6000m2 be used for “sport and a playground” is clearly unsustainable and wasteful in the extreme.

CBRRA will continue to contribute positively to this sensitive matter in whatever manner possible, in order that the entire population of Camps Bay can benefit equally from the most effective broad use of what is undoubtedly, with the soccer field, the most valuable piece of real estate in the village.