The City of Cape Town will launch its new Land Release Programme for More Affordable Housing at its first Affordable Housing Indaba set to take place on 8 April 2022. Amid the acute demand for affordable housing we can build a new Cape Town if we work together.

The City’s new Land Release Programme for More Affordable Housing, which is a Mayoral priority of Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, has been informed by the City’s assessment of suitable City-owned land, including land in and near the Cape Town CBD and other urban centres in the metro to determine whether some of these properties could be developed for affordable housing opportunities. The indaba seeks to bring together affordable housing partners, other government stakeholders, financiers and private developers to unlock opportunities on well-located land that will be released by the City.

‘The outcomes of the indaba will inform the City’s accelerated Affordable Housing Programme. We hope to learn from the private sector and other stakeholders especially about what they require for sustainable private and public partnerships that can accelerate affordable housing provision and propel Cape Town into a spatially inclusive metro with greater access to affordable housing.

‘The City will also show the private sector what it has available in terms of City incentives and other services on offer to help enable development. The Land Release Programme provides some of the building blocks of the new city of hope we are building together. The City’s land release for housing is however not sufficient on its own. National Government must come to the party. We continue to call on National Government to release its large pieces of suitable land to the City for the development of affordable housing. National Government sits on the largest well-located mega-properties in Cape Town for housing – with a yield of potentially over 100 000 units. These properties include Wingfield and the completely under-utilised sprawling parliamentary village of Acacia Park, where a few MPs occasionally reside. We will continue to work on unlocking that land.

‘The City currently has more than 6 500 social housing units in the overall pipeline across 50 land parcels city-wide, including 2 000 social housing units in the central Cape Town area and much work is under way,’ said Mayor Hill-Lewis.

The City’s social and affordable housing drive is happening in urban areas across the metro. Apart from the more than 6 500 social housing units in the overall pipeline, including 2 000 in Central Cape Town, there are also 2 500 opportunities nearing completion or about to begin construction along the Voortrekker Road Corridor and near important economic nodes. Much work continues to develop the pipeline both from the City and private sector. We call on all partners to join our movement for more social housing, affordable housing and mixed-use developments.

Central Cape Town social housing projects at various stages include:

• The City is packaging Fruit and Veg (+/- 150 social housing units) and the first precinct in Parow (+/- 350) for release to the market within the current year.

• Maitland (+/- 200) is under construction.

• Projects nearing construction phase include Pine Road (+/- 240) and Dillon Road (+/- 150) in Woodstock; Salt River Market (+/- 200).

• Projects undergoing land use management processes to be made available for social housing include New Market (+/- 200); Pickwick (+/- 600); and Woodstock Hospital precinct (+/-700).

• Western Cape Government driven projects, supported by the City, include the Conradie Park development in the inner city feeder suburb of Pinelands, Founders Garden, and Helen Bowden Nurses Home in Green Point. All have significant potential for social housing unit yields.

‘Between 1996 and 2016, Cape Town’s population increased by 56% to more than 4,3 million residents, and over the same period, there was a 94% increase in the number of households, to around 1,36 million. To accommodate projected growth as well as to manage the existing housing demand, it is estimated that roughly 500 000 housing opportunities need to be created between now and 2028. Urbanisation will continue and the associated growth in informality. This is not a problem that is unique to Cape Town. The City developed its Human Settlements Strategy, which looks at how to deliver more affordable housing, in partnership, at scale and with innovation. The Affordable Housing Indaba is a tangible action step emanating from the strategic shift that the City has made.

‘The broadening of the City’s strategic role from regulator to greater enabler of affordable housing, in partnership with all role players, including emerging developers, traditional private developers, social housing partners, and households themselves, is critical to meeting an increasing demand for affordable housing, especially for those earning below R22 000 per month.

‘Housing, across all types, affect all who live in Cape Town. Sprouting from the current affordable housing crisis in South Africa, we have a unique opportunity to become a leading city in affordable housing provision. Affordable housing, and incrementally enhancing affordable accommodation and basic services, must become a greater part of the mainstream conversation and from this conversation, we need strong plans of action and commitments from all parties to build Cape Town together,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi.

Source: City Of Cape Town