City to extend St James coastal walkway thanks to donor funding
21 July 2026
The City is pleased to announce the commencement of a project to extend the very popular St James coastal walkway. The long-term vision is to see the walkway extending all the way from Muizenberg’s Surfer’s Corner, beyond St James to Clovelly Corner.
Thanks to the generous donation from a Cape Town family, the City will be able to commence with the first phase of the extension of the St James walkway.
The family who wants to remain anonymous, approached the Mayor in 2025 with a proposal to contribute funding to extend the St James walkway from Muizenberg towards Clovelly Corner. This funding will be used for the construction of the first phase of the extension, once all the required processes have been concluded.
Following the family’s proposal, the City has appointed a team of professional coastal engineers to prepare a high-level concept design and preliminary costing for extending the walkway in manageable sections. The work included engagements with PRASA given the proximity of the existing and future walkway alignment to the railway line.
The initial engagements with PRASA have been positive, subject to the required detailed design approvals and compliance with all rail safety requirements.
The City will now initiate the required processes to take the project forward, including:
An environmental impact assessment, including public participation
Detailed engagement with the relevant decision-making authorities and stakeholders amongst which national and provincial government departments, PRASA, SANParks and heritage authorities; and
Further technical design work, costing, and implementation planning
‘The St James coastal walkway is one of Cape Town’s most loved public spaces. Residents and visitors from all over use it throughout the year. The project to extend the walkway through a generous commitment of a Cape Town family will be warmly welcomed by all who love to walk this section of our coastline. Extending the walkway beyond St James will improve public access to this beautiful part of our coastline.
‘I’m very grateful to this family for their generosity. This commitment is also an opportunity to set a long-term vision for this coastal walking route, and the City will work carefully with all relevant stakeholders as the project progresses,’ said Cape Town Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
The City will keep the public informed as the project progresses through the required planning, consultation, approval, and design processes.
‘The intention is to extend the walkway from St James, where it currently ends, all the way to Clovelly Corner. Further funding opportunities may be explored in future to fulfil this long-term vision. For now, we are preparing for the public participation and other processes that will focus on the first phase of the project made possible by the generous funding from the Cape Town family. We will keep the public informed,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
