Green Point residents have until Friday August 30 to weigh in on the proposed lease of the City’ s property referred to as the Cape Town Stadium Precinct.
The City is considering a 50-year lease for the property – with an option to renew for 49 years – at R100 a year for the duration of the lease.
The City will be responsible for major capital infrastructure and its municipal entity will be responsible for the day-to-day operational costs and maintenance.
The property is zoned General Business and it’s 7.2 hectares excluding the Green Point Urban Park.
The City’s spokesperson, Luthando Tyhalibongo, said the property could be used for retail, office and storage space.
He said the City subsidises the stadium, which means “that if a commercial rental is charged, the municipal entity will use the subsidy to pay the commercial rental back to the City”.
“It therefore does not make sense to charge a commercial rental if it is just going to be paid back. A nominal rental of R100 per annum was therefore used,” he said.
Mr Tyhalibongo said as the stadium company becomes less reliant on the City subsidy, there is scope for the rental to move closer to a commercial rental.
The chairperson for the Green Point Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association, Jenny McQueen, said she was in no position to comment on the matter and would meet the ward councillor Dave Bryant to discuss the matter further.
Residents can comment on the proposal online or via email to richard.wootton@capetown.gov.za or in person to the Office of the City Manager, For attention: Mr Richard Wootton 3rd Floor, Tower Block, Cape Town Civic Centre, 12 Hertzog Boulevard, Cape Town
Meanwhile, at a mayoral committee meeting held on Tuesday July 23, the committee gave the green light for the approval of granting long-term rights to the public, for the use of the property next to the stadium. The space is formerly known as Portion 2 of the unused site, located within Cape Town Stadium precinct. The site is zoned GBS 5 and the proposed usage is for business purposes.
The meeting heard that the tender would propose a mixed use development and that should a predominantly commercial use be proposed, a tender notice should be issued to inform the public that a mix of land uses is required.
During a public participation process in 2016, Mouille Point Ratepayers’ Association (MPRA) said future lease conditions should state that the lessee must engage with Cape Town Stadium and the City regarding a traffic management plan for the stadium.
When the ratepayers enquired about the proposed nature of business to be conducted on site and the identity of the lessee, the City’s property management department said any proposed business activity anticipated would be in line with the permitted zoning rights and that a public competitive process was yet to be conducted to secure a lessee.
