City-wide policies and guidelines
Find quick links to all of our city-wide, land use, planning, building and development policies and guidelines.
Safer Cities Guidelines
The City is in the process of developing a comprehensive series of strategies and guidelines to tackle crime and improve safety. This includes a broad spectrum of interventions including situational, social and institutional crime prevention initiatives. The “Design and Management Guidelines for a Safer City” focuses on situational crime prevention and crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). It provides guidance to home owners, local communities, business owners and City officials in developing plans which increase levels of safety for all.
Read or download the Safer Cities Guideline
Early Childhood Development Land Use Policy
This policy is used to guide the assessment of proposals for the development and location of small and large scale Early Childhood Development Centres in Cape Town and deals only with the Land Use Management aspects relating to Early Childhood Development Centres.
Read or download the
Early Childhood Development Land Use Policy
Designing Quality Places: Urban Design Policy
Internationally it has been recognised that design, and more specifically urban design, can add value to development processes and play a positive role in urban transformation. The intention of the Urban Design Policy is to guide the design process and formulation of development proposals so as to make Cape Town safer, more prosperous and more inclusive.
Read or download the
Designing Quality Places: Urban Design Policy.
Design Guidelines
The following documents form part of the City's approved Urban Design Policy. These guidelines aim to support transparent-decision-making and guide City officials, designers, developers, architects, planners and community members in achieving, managing and improving principles of good urban design.
Gated Residential Developments Design Guidelines
Multi-storey Residential Developments Design Guidelines
Retail Developments Design Guidelines
Boundary Walls and Fences Policy
This policy attempts to control the appearance of boundary walls and fences and the installation of security devices on top of walls and fences.
Read or download the
Boundary Walls and Fences Policy
Telecommunication Mast Infrastructure Policy
The Telecommunication Mast Infrastructure Policy helps planning officials assess and make decisions regarding applications for development of new cell masts and related infrastructure (i.e. where they may be located and how any adverse impact should be mitigated).
Read or download the
Telecommunication Mast Infrastructure Policy.
Densification Policy for Cape Town
Densification simply means making more efficient use of our limited urban space – in other words, finding place for more people to live and work. We can do this in Cape Town by building townhouses, second dwellings, semi-detached houses, double storeys, low-rise apartments and, where appropriate, higher-rise flats. Find out how to achieve a city that is efficient, safe and sustainable through dense and compact development by exploring the city’s Densification Policy.
Read or download the
Densification Policy for Cape Town.
Gated Development Policy
A gated development refers to a physical area or development that is walled or fenced off from its surroundings and where general public access is monitored, controlled, restricted or prevented in any way, often by means of gates or booms at a specific point. The purpose of the Gated Development Policy is to set land-use management guidelines for gated development proposals, and to protect Council's integrity of the city’s infrastructure and access-way networks.
Read or download the
Gated Development Policy.
Guest Accommodation Policy
With tourism being one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the Western Cape and Cape Town, it is in the interest of the City of Cape Town to facilitate the establishment of a range of tourist and holiday accommodation related establishments and facilities. The City of Cape Town's Guest Accommodation Policy provides a guideline for the assessment of such proposals to ensure effective and responsible development of such establishments in the City.
Read or download the
Guest Accommodation Policy.
Investment Incentives Policy
The City of Cape Town Investment Incentives Policy (Aug 2013), aims to inform and guide the provision of incentives for job creating investment within the city of Cape Town.
Read or download the
Investment Incentives Policy
Land Use Enforcement Policy
The Land Use Enforcement Policy sets out the approach and procedures relating to land use enforcement.
Read or download the
Land Use Enforcement Policy
Sky Bridges Policy
The Sky Bridges Policy allows the City to give guidance on when, where and how sky bridges should be planned in order to promote safe, mixed use and pedestrian focused streets, as well as to protect important views and heritage fabric. It will assist decision-makers in assessing applications as well as provide guidance to developers and applicants on submissions of proposals and assessments thereof.
Read or download the
Sky Bridges Policy.
Tall building policy
Whilst the City is desirous of facilitating a bold and prosperous future, the development of “tall buildings” has a direct impact on the identity, image and experience of our city. The Tall Building Policy advocates responsible sustainable growth that makes a positive contribution to placemaking and the public realm and enhances the overall cityscape by ensuring the development of well-integrated tall buildings in appropriate locations, whilst giving guidance on the design during the early planning and design phases.
Read or download the
Tall Building Policy and associated
design guidelines.
Other metro-wide policies
The Rural Management Framework for the City of Cape Town, 2002
The rural areas in and around metropolitan Cape Town are under threat from various quarters. In association with the neighboring West Coast and Boland District Municipalities, and the adjoining Stellenbosch, Drakenstein and Swartland Municipalities, The Rural Management Framework aims to introduce a consistent and sustainable basis of managing the Cape Town Metropolitan Area’s unique rural areas.
Read or download the
Rural Management Framework for the City of Cape Town, 2002
Scenic Drive Network Management Plan, 2003
Scenic drives provide a means of preserving and experiencing prime portions of Cape Town’s natural and cultural landscapes. It is therefore important to identify, protect and enhance scenic drives and the surrounding natural and cultural resources. The management guidelines and tools are aimed at assisting developers, owners, land use planning officials etc. who deal with issues impacting on the scenic drives identified.
Read or download the
Scenic Drive Network Management Plan, 2003
Street Naming and Numbering Policy, 2014
The purpose of this policy is to set minimum standards and clear procedures, to clarify the responsibilities of the relevant parties involved in the process and to outline effective administrative and decision-making arrangements to guide the City’s functions relating to street naming and numbering.
Read or download the
Street Naming and Numbering Policy, 2014
Structure Plan for Mining, 2000
The Structure Plan for Mining applies to the Cape Metropolitan Area (CMA) and adjoining West Coast and Winelands areas. The primary aim of this study is to assist local authorities with decision-making regarding applications for land-use changes for mining. Management guidelines (to support this function) are also provided.
Read of download the
Structure Plan for Mining, 2000
Veldfire-related Planning Guidelines, 2004
The Cape metropolitan area is characterised by a number of conditions, the particular combination of which gives rise to veldfire risk in the area, in particular in the peninsula area along the urban edge. These guidelines establish the principles which should be taken into account by both the developers or owner of a piece of land at risk from veldfires, as well as by the relevant authority in its consideration of development applications in this context.
Read or download the
Veldfire-related Planning Guidelines, 2004
Repealed Policies
See all our policies that have been repealed by council and are no longer in effect in the
Document centre. You will need to filter to policies to find these.
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