The Provincial Government of the Western Cape has given the go-ahead for Cape Town's 2010 soccer stadium to be built on the site of the golf course at Green Point. This is in line with the recommendations of the final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed stadium.
This authorisation was contained in the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEAD&P)'s Record of Decision, issued on 31 October. This Record of Decision is in response to an application by the City of Cape Town for the proposed change of land use from "zoned open space" to "other land use".
The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) considered three alternatives for the proposed new Green Point Stadium, Green Point Common:
- Alternative 1: Do nothing
- Alternative 2: Develop the existing stadium site
- Alternative 3: Develop the golf course site
The EIR concluded that the "do nothing" approach would result in a very high lost opportunity for the city, and should not be considered. The EIR further found that both the existing stadium site and the golf course alternative would impact on leaseholders having existing rights to areas of the Common for sporting and other activities.
However, the EIR concluded that the golf course alternative has a lower impact on the surrounding heritage resources, greater potential to unify the Common, and a lower visual impact (fewer people will have their views permanently affected by the development on the golf course site than a development on the existing stadium site).
In authorising Alternative 3, DEAD&P noted that a key factor in the decision-making process was the fact that the proposed stadium and urban park development is in line with the vision and policies of the Green Point Development Framework (1998).
DEAD&P further noted that the golf course site is the preferred alternative because it will result in:
- A lower economic impact
- An overall lower visual impact
- A higher positive response to heritage indicators
- A lower severance impact on the landscape, with the built component being concentrated on the eastern edge of the common
- Less sporting codes being directly impacted by the new stadium
- More space being available for the reorganisation of the existing sporting codes and will provide additional open space for recreational activities other than formal sports
DEAD&P has granted authorisation on condition that strict guidelines are adhered to, with regard to construction and upgrading of transport infrastructure, building height, landscaping, colour-coding, parking, lighting, noise attenuation, landscaping, provision of energy and water, storage and waste management.
Any building, including site preparation, may not begin before the statutory 30-day appeal period expires.