Final public participation meeting held for TRUP
The last of the Public Participation Process (PPP) meetings, facilitated by Sun Development consultants and hosted by the River Club, was well attended by local stakeholders,
The twelfth and final PPP, in a series of meetings, was intended to co-design a future development scenario for the Two Rivers Park area surrounded by Observatory, Oude Molen Eco Village, Pinelands, Maitland Garden Village and the River Club.
Presentations by the Provincial Two Rivers Park professional team and consultants and the Two Rivers Park Association led to an active exchange of ideas and the promotion of alternative solutions for the area.
The participation process has been aimed at finding a win-win solution to the Provincial/City's densification development strategy approach and the TRUP Associations, appropriate balanced development approach.
The results were documented and will be available for public scrutiny.
The next step in the process to determine what will be allowed in and around the TRUP area will be informed by a Local Spatial Development Framework Public Participation Process.
Affected stakeholders and interested parties are encouraged to be involved in this to ensure the Provincial Administration and City's co-design philosophy and policy is inclusive and fair.
Issues highlighted at the recent Public Participation Process were the following.
The River Club's future development proposal needed to be included in the PPP as per the City initiated TRUP contextual Framework in 2003.
Flooding of Hartleyvale and surrounding Observatory properties as a result of the intended infill of land by the River Club future development proposal was a great concern for Observatory property owners in the area.
The additional high density building footprint in the TRUP area by the River Club on the wetlands with historical cultural and heritage significance was perceived as problematic given the emphasis on addressing the apartheid legacy and no affordable housing being allocated in the proposed development.
A preferred alternative option presented by TRUP constituents was for Province and City to explore a land-swop for land owned by the City in-between the Black River Parkway office park development and the River Club.
This would be in exchange for wetlands purchased by the River Club from PRASA so that it could remain wetlands and open to the public.
Hudson McComb, chairperson for the TRUP Association, expressed that while stakeholders found the process of engaging different scenarios somewhat complex, he personally found the process of engaging with provincial government as custodians of public assets encouraging.
He acknowledged the provincial government's desire to collaborate and engage with the public as equal co-custodians of public assets to co-design future development proposals for the TRUP area in order to produce sustainable outcomes we can all take ownership of and ensure a legacy future generations will benefit from.