By Larry Claasen
THE Western Cape Property Development Forum (WCPDF) supports the City of Cape Town’s proposed amendments to the Municipal Planning By-law (MPBL) but has raised significant concerns about their implementation.
The amendments, which aim to streamline development processes and promote densification, have been met with cautious optimism by the property development industry. The changes, which are still being finalised, are meant to address long-standing bottlenecks in Cape Town’s development approval processes.
Key changes include the introduction of Incentive Overlay Zones (IOZs), for specific areas in Athlone, Maitland, Parow/Elsies River, Bellville and Diep River, which aim to stimulate investment in these areas by offering enhanced development rights, such as increased building heights and additional use rights.
Deon van Zyl, chairperson of the WCPDF, said the forum is “very positive” that the city has recognised densification as a key issue. However, he warned that the proposed changes cannot be implemented without proper community engagement.
“The challenge is that communities must be co-opted into proposals such as those around the Incentive Overlay Zones,” Van Zyl said.
“By incorporating these without proper community engagement, all the amendments will do is result in the inevitable further public opposition to development applications.”
Van Zyl described the IOZs as “a good concept in principle,” but stressed that they must be aligned with infrastructure, environmental constraints, and community needs.
He also highlighted the importance of ensuring that the City of Cape Town officials are equipped to process applications efficiently.
“The amendments must define a strategy that gets officials on board to process such applications and indeed all development applications efficiently, and within legal timeframes succinctly,” he said.
The proposed changes come as Cape Town grapples with a growing demand for housing and economic development. The scale of the crisis can be seen in the city’s Human Settlements Strategy (HSS) projecting a shortfall in the development of housing opportunities of between 22 970 and 27 980 every year between 2018 and 2028
As a way to address the crisis, the city has identified 194 areas where developers can build up to 8 to 12 small-scale affordable rental units on residential plots without needing land-use approval, provided the projects comply with the new rules. This move is part of a broader strategy to promote densification and address the housing shortage.
However, the WCPDF has cautioned that the success of the amendments depends on the City’s ability to engage communities and provide adequate infrastructure to support increased density.
Van Zyl also noted that the administrative burden on land use applications remains a concern, despite efforts to streamline processes.
“What we do welcome is the city endeavouring to streamline land use applications in the amendment but the amendment still obviously has a long road to travel.”
The WCPDF’s comments come amid ongoing consultations with stakeholders, including community groups, professional associations, and private developers.
Van Zyl emphasised that it will take time to see the full impact of the amendments.
“It will therefore be some time before we see what difference the MPBL amendments will make to development projects,” he notes.
