Are you a resident or running a business in the Bellville area? What kind of CBD are you imagining for the area? From Tuesday, 3 May, Bellville residents, businesses and relevant stakeholders will have an opportunity to weigh in on the City of Cape Town’s proposed local spatial development framework (LSDF) for the Bellville Central Business District.
The development framework aims to provide guidance on detailed local planning and public infrastructure investment to unlock development opportunities and the urban regeneration of the Bellville CBD.
It includes a precinct master plan for the Bellville CBD with a proposed long-term spatial vision, investment and interventions to support the implementation of the vision.
The City’s deputy mayor and mayoral committee member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews said this draft proposes significant investment from both the public and private sector in roads, utilities, affordable housing and innovation to support urban renewal in the longer term.
“The City’s Catalytic Land Development Programme focuses on Bellville’s urban core as a catalytic precinct to promote inclusive growth and development through the digital economy, knowledge-based businesses, and so forth. However, the immediate focus is on interventions to stabilise the area in terms of crime and grime and deprivation.
“I encourage all who have an interest in the future of Bellville to please peruse the draft LSDF once it is available, and to comment on what the City is proposing for this area,” he said.
The following objectives are promoted in the draft LSDF:
- Place economic growth at the heart of Bellville – it must be an attractive location for international, national and local investors
- Restore the urban core as a prime business, innovation and visitor destination with the potential to become the Government Precinct for professional, financial and business services
- Create an environment that allows businesses to flourish and create jobs
- Stimulate development through investment in sustainable and green next-generation infrastructure; the expansion of fast broadband and digital infrastructure is critical as a basis for promoting an innovation district among the cluster of higher education institutions in the area
- Maximise delivery of affordable housing in support of economic growth by encouraging more economically active households to live and work in Bellville; and
- Drive economic growth by promoting a diverse business base and redressing imbalances in the labour market as a flexible and highly skilled workforce attracts and retains businesses
The City’s mayoral committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos, said this is a welcome opportunity to establish the road map to transforming the local economy of Bellville and improving livelihoods and quality of life over the next decade beyond.
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City of Cape Town set to give Bellville CBD much-needed makeover
Picture: CapeTown ETC