City approves building plans to the value of R7,8 billion in first quarter
13 November 2025
The City has approved building plans to the value of nearly R8 billion in the first quarter of the current financial year. Up to 4 733 building plans were submitted from 1 July 2025 to 30 September 2025 to the City’s Development Management Department for assessment.
‘The construction industry is pivotal to Cape Town’s local economy. It is a massive source of direct and indirect job opportunities, fuels the demand for goods and services associated with the industry, and is an important indicator of investment appetite. Our latest statistics indicate that residents and investors have confidence in Cape Town’s future; and that property owners are eager to invest in improving or expanding existing assets, or developing new properties.
‘The City’s Development Management Department has, over the past three years, invested a lot of time and energy in streamlining processes and making it easier to do business with the City. These efforts are aimed at ensuring building plans and development applications can be submitted with ease, and to keep the turnaround time for assessments to about 30 working days for building plans, and 90 days for land use applications, pending statutory and other requirements in terms of the City’s Municipal Planning By-law,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
The City has approved building plans to the value of R7,8 billion from 1 July 2025 to 30 September 2025:
• 4 733 building plans were submitted to the City for assessment during this time
• 4 136 building plans were approved
• 3 976 of the approved building plans cover less than 500m²; 152 are bigger than 500m² and eight are bigger than 10 000m²
• 343 building plans to the value of R2,01 billion were approved in the Table Bay district, which includes the CBD
• 539 building plans to the value of R1,19 billion were approved in the Blaauwberg district
• 791 building plans to the value of R738 million were approved in the Northern district
• 536 building plans to the value of R794 million were approved in the Tygerberg district
• 412 building plans to the value of R709 million were approved in the Helderberg district
• 572 building plans to the value of R465 million were approved in the Mitchells Plain/Khayelitsha district
• 197 building plans to the value of R338 million were approved in the Cape Flats district
• 746 building plans to the value of R1,58 billion were approved in the Southern district
Up to 2 047 land use applications were submitted to the City from 1 July 2025 to 30 September 2025. Most of these – 380 – were for new developments in the Southern planning district.
The City assesses development and building plan applications in terms of the Municipal Planning By-law; the City’s Development Management Scheme (DMS) or zoning scheme which determines the land use for every site or land parcel that falls within the City of Cape Town’s municipal boundaries; and the National Building Regulations.
‘The City is compelled by law to notify interested and affected parties of applications that may have an impact on adjacent property owners and residents when an application goes over and above the existing land rights in terms of the DMS. These interested and affected parties have the right to oppose, object to, and comment on development applications.
‘The approval of development applications usually takes longer when a submission is objected to, or opposed. All developments and building plans must be approved by the City, and all residents and interested parties, as well as developers and land owners, have the right to appeal the final decisions,’ said Alderman Andrews.
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
