Focus on common

The nomination of the Green Point Common as a provincial heritage site could be one step closer as the nomination is released for public comment.

The events taking place in Green Point and the protection of the Common were at the centre of the Green Point Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association’s annual general meeting, on Wednesday May 15.

Green Point residents filled the Hellenic community centre in Mouille Point, to discuss issues affecting the area, and a way forward.

Delivering the co-chairperson’s report on behalf of Jenny Mcqueen, James Loock said the nomination of Green Point Common as a provincial heritage site is of utmost importance, as they want to preserve the area for the future generations of Cape Town.

He said they’ve negotiated successfully to have the Common what it should be.

Mr Loock said land in the city is a valuable asset, and under so much pressure, and they want the Common and the urban park to be protected.

The ratepayers appealed to Ward 115 councillor, Dave Bryant, to host meetings between officials from the City and the Heritage Western Cape, to explain the reasons for the delay in the process and resolve them, so that the common could be declared as a heritage site.

On the issue of events taking place in Green Point, Rebecca King, who forms part of the events committee, said Green Point is an event venue of the city, and while they like this, the events can be problematic.

Ms King said there’s often lack of transparency with the City and the stadium management. “There’s lack of coordination of events, and there are often no fines for non-compliance despite the 2016 By-Law,” she said. Ms King said the City’s permit office doesn’t always adhere to their own rules, and that they are struggling to build a connection with them.

She said they receive applications about the upcoming events to take place in Green Point, and assess the impact on residents and, most particularly, the duration of an event. She said they respond and send guidelines to the applicants.

“We either support and decline, and we’ve only declined three events in the last year. There’s one in question coming up, and we have no noise plan, we have no picture of what their stage looks like, and they were asked to move their event last year, and they’re back here,” she said.

Touching on challenges ahead of them, Ms King said the City’s structures are overlapping, over-complicated, with neither coordination nor accountability. She said the City is only interested in the City, and not lease holders.

Mr Bryant said he’s working on putting together a team that will directly deal with the events taking place in Green Point.