Public to comment on proposed rehabilitation of Kloof Road
23 May 2025
The City’s Urban Mobility Directorate wants to inform the public that processes are under way to obtain environmental approvals for the repairs to Kloof Road. The section between Kloof Nek Road and Round House Road was damaged during a Level-9 storm in September 2023 and has been closed to the public since then. An independent environmental consultant is now undertaking the public participation process.
Kloof Road is one of the access routes that links the City Bowl with the Atlantic Seaboard suburbs of Camps Bay, Clifton, Bantry Bay and Sea Point.
Residents and stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments on the City’s application for Environmental Authorisation for the rehabilitation and reinstatement of the failed portions of the road embankments on Kloof Road between Kloof Nek Road and Round House Road.
Kloof Road falls within the Table Mountain National Park and the two failed embankments are located approximately 150 to 200 meters west of the corner of Kloof Road and Camps Bay Drive.
Public participation:
The public participation process is required in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) as the rehabilitation is taking place in a protected and environmentally sensitive area.
The draft Basic Assessment Report (BAR) is now available for public comment for 30 days, with the closing date for submissions being Monday, 23 June 2025.
The report is available online at https://www.dougjeff.co.za.
A hard copy of the report is available at the Kloof Street Library, 122B Kloof Street, Gardens.
Once the public participation process has been concluded, the BAR will be submitted to the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning for consideration in terms of the NEMA.
Background information
The City’s Urban Mobility Directorate has been working hard behind the scenes in getting the necessary statutory processes under way – these are mostly related to environmental and other approvals for the repair work to be undertaken
‘Kloof route is an important access route and the City is well aware of the impact and inconvenience the closure is causing. I am pleased to say that the process to obtain environmental approvals has started as this is an important step in getting us closer to starting the physical repair work.
‘Given that the road is located in a national park and the environmental sensitivity of the natural area, the City is by law required to obtain approvals from a number of state departments before we can touch this site. A critical part of this process is also to allow the public the opportunity to comment on the environmental impact the work may have – and this is where we are at right now.
‘The City, as a law abiding and accountable administration, will comply with the National Environmental Management Act, and are committed to due diligence. I want to encourage residents to please participate and submit comments to the independent environmental consultant who is tasked to undertake this process,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.
Closure
The section between Kloof Nek Road and Round House Road has been closed to traffic since the long weekend of 24 September 2023 in the interest of public safety after the embankment supporting Kloof Road was destabilised, making it unsafe to carry a load. Unfortunately, further damage occurred last year when heavy rainfall caused an additional slip failure during the winter season.
Challenges
Due to the magnitude of the slip, remedial actions will take time
Given that Kloof Road is located within Table Mountain National Park and along a natural watercourse (stream), environmental processes are triggered and a Water Use Licence will be required
Environmental authorisation is required in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) before any construction/repair work can start
Kloof Road is built on land that is owned and managed by SANParks. As such, the City needs the landowner’s consent in all of the above processes
Various services are located along Kloof Road such as fibre optic, water mains, and so forth. These will have to be relocated or worked around and maintained while the repair work is ongoing
There are large trees in the area where the road collapsed and these will have to be removed before work can start
The terrain is very steep
Access to the site is going to be a huge challenge, given that the construction work will have to happen from the bottom of the kloof upward towards the road and there is no access road to the bottom
Given the environmental sensitivity of the area, access cannot just be built with heavy machinery, and getting the required machinery and materials to the bottom is going to pose many logistical challenges
The City will also apply for a Water Licence from the National Department of Water and Sanitation in terms of the National Water Act.
Once the above has been concluded and approvals obtained, the City will advertise the construction contract for the repair work.
Timeframes
It will take at least 12 months to obtain the necessary approvals in terms of the Water Act and NEMA, if there are no delays or appeals
Given the scale of the work and challenges around the construction of the project, the work itself will take at least 10 months to complete pending any delays or unforeseen circumstances
Importantly, the City can only repair what has been damaged, and cannot add additional improvements, such as walking and cycle lanes
It is impossible to give an exact date at this point as we first need to comply with statutory processes, but given the constraints and challenges, Kloof Road is likely to remain closed for at least another 16 months
‘We are pushing to get the work started in the last quarter of 2025. It is important to stress that the start date depends on the outcome of processes beyond the City’s control, in particular those related to the NEMA. We are working closely with all stakeholders and will keep the public informed of our progress,’ said Councillor Quintas.
Caption: Major works are needed to repair a section of Kloof Road that was damaged during a Level-9 storm in September last year.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
