The Clairwood Ratepayers and Residents Association (CRRA) is sifting through a 524-page document on the intended rezoning of the suburb into a logistics park.
The land development plan document details the eThekwini Municipality’s vision for the Clairwood area while preserving historical, religious and burial sites.
Rishi Singh, the honorary life president of the CRRA, who has lived in Clairwood for 67 years, said they were taken by surprise when they came across the notice informing the public of a series of meetings.
The eThekwini Municipality has made an application for the amendment of the eThekwini municipal land use scheme: central sub scheme by the introduction of a new zone to be known as a special zone 40: Clairwood logistics park and associated masterplan for the study area. The public has until April 8 to lodge objections.
According to the eThekwini Municipality development planning, environment and management unit land development plan, a council resolution was taken to adopt the Back of Port Local Area Plan (BoP LAP) in 2011.
The Clairwood suburb is some 248 hectares. The revised study area measures some 164 hectares in extent.
Singh said part of the objection was the timing and days of the meetings, which were held when residents were at work. Singh said the municipality has failed to recognise the CRRA as a bona fide organisation, formed in 1946, nor have they responded to emails.
“Although we have until April to submit objections, we will request an extension so that we can consult with people who are knowledgeable with town planning. To sift through the 500 pages is a task. We do not trust the municipality. The paper contains town planning details that we do not understand,” he said.
The municipality stated that the initiative will be one of the few (if not the first instance) where an entire existing brownfields settled development is intended to be converted into a logistics park.
The municipality stated that as a result of limited enforcement, the current state of Clairwood, initially designed as a residential suburb with accompanying infrastructure, is now home to a plethora of illegal and unauthorised land uses.
“Evidently the area has transitioned, from residential settlement to an unplanned, uncoordinated land use mix, for which it was never designed. The result being adverse impacts on existing infrastructure,” the municipality stated in the plan.
It said that the scheme’s intention was:
- To adopt a unified vision for Clairwood that promotes the freight and logistics economy while preserving and balancing the preservation of environmental and social assets of the area.
- To adopt a masterplan that will serve as a management layer and mechanism to evaluate and assess future development applications including landscaping protocols and urban design framework.
- To establish a management association, which shall be formed, and every site owner and occupier shall belong to, ascribe to the objects of, abide by, and be bound by the requirements of this association.
- A design review panel shall be established by the management association.
- The municipality shall not consider any plans unless reviewed by the design review panel.
In order to establish the Clairwood area a logistics park, the municipality stated that it would be necessary to redesign the area.
A team of professionals were assembled to assess the site, undertake the necessary research associated with local and international best-case examples, together with an assessment of the local environment and influences in order to inform the outcomes, stated the municipality.
The establishment of the village of Clairwood (1875-1880) was in close proximity to the South Coast Junction (Rossburgh) where the main railway routes met.