Capetonians now have one final opportunity to help shape the way in which the city will transform and expand in the long-term, by commenting on the City of Cape Town’s new Cape Town Spatial Development Framework (CTSDF).

The final draft of the CTSDF will be available for one last round of public comments between 8 November 2010 and 31 January 2011, after which it will be prepared for City and Provincial Government approval.

The CTSDF is a long-term plan to manage growth and change in Cape Town and will, when approved, replace the outdated guide plans and spatial plans such as the Metropolitan Spatial Development Framework (MSDF) that are currently being used to guide land use decisions. It will also align the City’s spatial development goals, strategies and policies with relevant National and Provincial spatial policies. It will, however, not give or take away zoning rights.

According to Catherine Stone, the City’s Director: Spatial Planning and Urban Design, many of Cape Town’s current spatial challenges are as a result of past spatial planning that created marginalised and fragmented communities.

“The Guide Plans currently guiding planning decisions in Cape Town are very out of date (as old as 1988) and as a result developers are increasingly having to go through guide plan amendment processes. The main strategies of the new CTSDF are aimed at guiding development of the city in such a way as to build an inclusive, connected and integrated city with equitable opportunities and access to resources for residents in all neighbourhoods, to improve employment and economic opportunities, and to find a balance between urban development and environmental protection,” she said.

After reviewing the successes and failures of the existing MSDF in 2005, the City embarked on a process to create the new CTSDF, as well as more detailed, medium-term spatial development plans for each of the eight planning districts in the city. In preparation of commencing the process to create the new CTSDF, residents of Cape Town were consulted to learn what principles they think should guide the future spatial planning of Cape Town.

The first draft of the CTSDF was endorsed by the Planning and Environment Portfolio Committee (PEPCO) in July 2009 and it was made available for public comment between August 2009 and November 2009. Over 1 000 people participated in this round of public participation and the City received almost 300 written comments.

Stone said many diverse comments were received on the matter of how the City needs to manage urban growth. “This places the City in an important mediation role in finding the most sustainable compromise to serve the public interest in the long term,” she said.

In preparation for the final round of public participation set to begin on 8 November 2010, the City had to submit the draft to the Provincial Government of the Western Cape for provisional inspection. The Provincial Government’s feedback was positive, and they endorsed the public participation process followed to date.

According to Alderman Brian Watkyns, Chairperson of PEPCO, the public comments received in the last round of public participation, as well as the City’s response to these, will be included in the documentation available for public review. “This will give the public the opportunity to scrutinise how the City has applied its mind to the public inputs made and how this has led to changes in the amendment of the draft CTSDF they commented on.”

Watkyns said the drafting of the new CTSDF was guided by a spatial planning vision that will lead the City to provide a sustainable future and greater equity in Cape Town. “The CTSDF was written based on the principles that future planning processes should provide all residents with equal access to opportunities, resources and amenities, and that historical and present spatial imbalances need to be redressed. High quality living environments must be created that celebrate the diversity of people living, working and visiting in Cape Town. The future spatial planning of Cape Town must ensure that the City works for all residents, and especially for children.”

He added that whilst drafting the CTSDF, great thought and emphasis was placed on protecting Cape Town’s natural environment, and incorporating into the planning processes the effects that climate change may have on the city. “Climate Change forecasting was used to guide the planning processes written into the draft CTSDF, as this will allow the City to develop Cape Town in such a way as to manage foreseeable effects of climate change,” Watkyns said.

The City has also prepared Integrated District Spatial Development Frameworks and Environmental Management Frameworks alongside the CTSDF. These are in the process of being re-drafted following public comment and will be brought to the PEPCO early in the new year in order to also be advertised for a final round of public comment in 2011.

The final draft Cape Town Spatial Development Framework will be available for public inspection from Monday 8 November 2010 at libraries, subcouncil offices and the City’s Planning and Building Development Management Department’s district offices. It can also be downloaded from the City's Spatial Development Framework website. 

City-wide stakeholder workshops will take place in the month of November 2010 where the revised draft proposals of the Cape Town Spatial Development Framework will be presented and discussed. A public hearing will be held on the draft Cape Town Spatial Development Framework in January 2011. Persons interested in participating in this hearing are requested to register by 15 December 2010.

For more information or to register to participate in the public hearing please visit the afore-mentioned website, or contact Paul Prinsloo on 021 400 9412 or e-mail futurecapetown@capetown.gov.za