The City of Cape Town is calling on residents to comment on the proposal to rationalise unused public open spaces in Mitchells Plain. These spaces are vacant and hotspots for criminality and anti-social behaviour.

Residents and interested and affected parties are encouraged to please participate in this public participation process about the proposal to rationalise 121 unused public open spaces in Mitchells Plain. The closing date for comments is 8 November 2021.

Only unused vacant public open spaces have been identified, and the proposal is to make these spaces available to the private sector for infill development.

All are invited to open day sessions to view the report and a map of the affected unused public open spaces. The plans will be at the Subcouncil office in Merrydale Avenue in Lentegeur in Mitchells Plain on the following days:

Saturday, 2 October from 09:00 to 16:00

Saturday, 9 October from 09:00 to 16:00

Saturday, 16 October from 09:00 to 16:00

Saturday, 23 October from 09:00 to 16:00

‘The spaces that the City has identified are vacant, neglected, and not used by the community. In fact, over the years Subcouncil 12 has received many complaints from residents and community organisations about criminal activities and anti-social behaviour at these unused open spaces. The Subcouncil supports this proposal, but we now want to hear the public’s views as well.

‘Thus, the intention of the public participation process is to give residents the opportunity to comment on the proposal to make these underutilised spaces available to the private sector for infill development or new housing developments in future. This will put the land to good use to meet the growing demand for affordable housing and at the same time improve residents’ lives.

‘I want to assure the community that we are only targeting unused public open spaces, and that the parks and spaces that are used and visited by residents are not included in this proposal. It is interesting to note that a recent city-wide audit has confirmed that Mitchells Plain has the highest concentration of public open spaces across the whole of Cape Town and this is partly why many of these spaces are not used and became neglected over time,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.

Importantly, the affected underused public open spaces will still be subject to various statutory processes, including further public participation, environmental impact assessments, and Council approval to dispose of the land, before the spaces can be rezoned for development.

Source: City Of Cape Town