Joburg’s 2040 Spatial Development Framework comes under review

21 July 2017

 

The City of Johannesburg is seeking to transform itself into an economically viable metropolis by having enhanced connectivity and accessibility through massive infrastructure development, property owners and developers in Region A heard this week.

 

The City’s Development Planning officials told a Nodal Public Participation Review at the Midrand Fire Station on Wednesday June 19 that for the economy to thrive, the 2040 Spatial Development Framework (SDF) had to ensure that development occurred in a way that was holistically sustainable and with positive environmental, social and economic effects.

The ongoing review, which is expected to be concluded before end of the year, is aimed at ensuring that it:

• Reflects the policy intentions of the SDF 2040;

• Responds to current realities in Johannesburg;

• Is strongly founded in evidence-based on planning;

• Responds to changes that have taken place since the previous nodal delineation;

• Addresses limitations of the current nodal definitions;

• Strongly represents public interests; and 

• Receives wide consensus before adoption.

At the review meeting, the officials said development projects in line with the SDF would allow residents to live close to where they worked as well as near schools, shopping malls, sporting facilities and other amenities.
It would also help the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to be more viable.

The plan, which caters mostly for high-density areas, would also contribute to the reduction of the cost of providing infrastructure and assist in preserving the natural environment.

The City’s Dylan Weakley said every city was founded on connectivity and accessibility and their respective residents and businesses concentrated on gaining access to a number of services and amenities.

“These include jobs, economic activity, markets, public open space, schools, healthcare facilities, services, cultural experiences, leisure, entertainment and indeed interaction with other people,” Weakley said.

In response to the presentations, Peter Gillespie of Vempine Properties said the City had to create a partnership between itself and property owners to make the process more effective.

“As the community of developers, we are trying to sit down with the City and together work out the best use of land that will help benefit the economy,” Gillespie said.

He said in some cases land use required commercial or industrial development for the purposes of creating employment opportunities, instead of residential development.

“We understand what the City needs and we also know what we need to do. We are looking for solutions so we can have a combined input to mitigate conflicts when making applications,” Gillespie concluded.

Midrand resident Paul Veltman said, however, that whenever there were developments in his area, his community had “to deal with the mess often left behind by developers”. He said this was as a result of violations of City by-laws.

“The problem we have with most developers is that when they are done with their projects, we as the residents are left with utter mess. They carry on with their projects without permission from the City and it seems the City is powerless to do anything to stop them,” Veltman complained.