6 June 2012
Future Cape Town welcomes the City of Cape Town’s decision to review the zoning of the Cape Town Stadium and the surrounding environs. Many global cities have had to grapple with the sustainability of sports precincts constructed for specific events and it has been proven time and again that isolating these precincts results in white elephant monuments to the global spectacle that was. The City’s latest manoeuvre aims to prevent just that.
We strongly condemn the escalating, ill-informed paranoia gripping Cape Town with regards to the rational use of a modern stadium. “The aim of these rezoning changes should be to promote economic sustainability and to reduce reliance on taxpayer money,” says Rashiq Fataar, MD of Future Cape Town, “we have already paid a high price for the development of the stadium and the surrounding area, and income-generating opportunities should be available- especially given that the stadium was designed for various mixed-use activities.”
It is imperative that the Fan Walk and Granger Bay Boulevard become vibrant pedestrian links between the CBD and areas beyond. This area is the weak link in an otherwise increasingly connected inner-city and Atlantic Seaboard; it leaves the local pedestrian and visitor in a district devoid of activity and as such, a recipe for an unsafe precinct.
As always, Future Cape Town looks forward to engaging with Cape Town’s citizens, and continuing to build an alternative and progressive urban voice of the next generation which will stand contrary to the continued narrow, non-economic and NIMBY views of particular ratepayer associations. It is imperative that surrounding land- and property owners come together with the city, province and citizens from across Cape Town to develop a broader vision for the city, of which the Cape Town Stadium is just one piece.
The zoning review is a positive, long overdue step by the City, and Future Cape Town is in full support of the City of Cape Town in this process.
ENDS
Issued by:
Media Office, Future Cape Town
media@futurecapetown.com
No one can argue the fact that the new stadium needs to be self sustainable, but I don’t see what re-zoning will do to change this. I think the city first needs to lay out detailed plans and economic models before embarking on this very slippery road. Personally I don’t see how an extra shopping/business precinct could be profitable at all. It’s already quite clear that the Cape Quarters a few hundred meters away can’t even pull enough customers to keep its tenants trading profitably. Although personally I believe the CQ to be a pretty badly designed mall, I don’t think the city should get involved in creating more retail space. Spending money on a white elephant won’t necessarily change the fact that it is a massive white elephant that will drain our coffers for years to come. What happens if the precinct is rezoned, the extra development completed and the precinct is still not self-sustainable? Will the politicians then argue that we need to sell of a portion of the common to residential developers. “Should we start with 10% of the commons and see if that covers it… A few years later maybe another 10%, since we are still not covering it completely…. Maybe another 20% to fund other urgent and much needed projects around Cape Town… Do we really need the whole golf course. Surely in the modern South Africa with all its challenges it will be better to develop this for low cost housing…” A very slippery slope indeed.
I was there when the golf course was dug up for the stadium. I did not want the stadium, as it was clear it was going to be a white elephant. It was my constitutional right to not want the stadium right next to my apartment. I moved out of the area as I didn’t want any part of it. Now that we were proved correct, now they wish to change the agreement. I hope this is a lesson to people who supported this stadium, as next time it could be on your block the ‘City’ decides to erect a white elephant. You have been warned, next time it will happen to you, and when you get no sleep remember the ‘City’ wants it so.
Dear Nimby (Not in my backyard)
What a spot on response. Ideally you have moved to Fish Hoek?