Council to confirm Special Rating Areas for Clifton, Upper Kenilworth, Park Island, Pinelands
16 May 2023
The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee has approved several
applications for Special Rating Areas (SRAs) at its meeting earlier today, 16
May 2023. The applications for SRAs in Clifton, Park Island, Upper Kenilworth,
and Pinelands, will serve before Council for ratification at the end of the
month.
Property owners in Special Rating Areas (SRAs) contribute additional rates to fund supplementary services in their specific geographical areas. These services are managed by a non-profit company in accordance with an approved business plan. Typically, these supplementary services are related to cleansing, environmental initiatives such as recycling, social interventions, and additional public safety measures.
The applications to serve before Council for approval at the end of the month are as follows:
- Clifton: With additional funds to be used for improving public safety, maintenance and upgrade of public spaces and walkways, and cleansing, with a special focus on Clifton's unique natural environment, beaches and public areas
- Park Island (Marina da Gama): The local environment includes waterways, public open spaces, parks, water access parks, and an adjoining nature reserve. It is a well-developed area with good infrastructure in need of restoration and maintenance
- Upper Kenilworth: Has a village character and funding is to be spent on interventions to preserve and promote its safe, clean, green, well-maintained, and socially responsible characteristics
- Pinelands: Is a well-established suburb with many green spaces. Additional rates will be spent on improving public safety, general maintenance and cleaning, maintenance of public spaces, and addressing noise
In addition, the Green Point Central Improvement District (GPCID) has submitted an application to amend the boundaries of the existing SRA to include more properties. The GPCID was established in 2001, and the application is to include all properties that border on Main and Somerset Roads, including those with an entry or exit from adjacent streets, and portions of the median that runs between Main Road and Helen Suzman Boulevard, covering the parking areas of P12 and P13 and the underpass.
'It is important to mention that a Special Rating Area is formed on the request of a community, and not the City. This is a process that is carefully managed and includes an extensive public participation process and public meetings. First off, a steering committee consisting of property owners in the area need to compile a five-year business plan which must be supported by the affected community. To submit an application for the establishment of an SRA in a residential area, more than 60% of property owners must give written support, and in a commercial area it is 50% plus one. Only once this support is confirmed by the City, the application can be advertised to give affected property owners 30 days to submit comments and objections. Thus, the proposal to form an SRA must be supported by those who have to contribute additional rates for the supplementary services,' said the City's Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
The City considers every application together with the objections. Once approved, a non-profit company is established and managed by a board who is elected by property owners. The City collects the additional rates on behalf of the CID, and this is paid over to the CID every month.
There are currently 47 SRAs in the City of Cape Town, excluding the four new applications. Should Council approve these, the additional rates will be levied as from 1 July 2023, in terms of the Local Government Municipal Property Rates Act.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
