The City of Cape Town has published a draft Local Spatial Development Framework (LSDF) for the Blaauwberg Road Corridor in Table View, one of the most important transport routes in the area which covers approximately 5km from Marine Circle in the west to the intersection with Koeberg Road and Potsdam Road in the east.
The LSDF aims to address challenges posed by historic planning dating from the 1980s, changes in the surroundings over the past forty years, limitations on the corridor’s development potential, increasing congestions, and infrastructure challenges.
According to the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews, the intention of the LSDF is to develop Blaauwberg Road into a thriving urban corridor with walkable precincts and quality public spaces.
Blaauwberg Road was developed in the late 1980s for low density suburban residential use base on a car centric development model with limited consideration of its interaction with the natural environment and open spaces. The municipality says that over the past forty years, the urban footprint has expanded north with the creation of new suburbs such as Parklands, Dunoon, West Beach, Sandown, Big Bay, Sunningdale and Rivergate etc. Congestion along Blaauwberg Road has subsequently increased with historic title deed restrictions limiting the development potential along the corridor.
“In devising the draft LSDF the City relied on the 1998 Blaauwberg Road Growth Management Strategy as reference point. More than 25 years ago already, the strategy proposed that we should combine the mobility function of the Blaauwberg Road east-west arterial route with higher density mixed use development along the axis to fulfil the corridor’s future potential.”
“Furthermore, the draft LSDF responds to and aligns with the Blaauwberg District Spatial Development Framework that was approved by Council in 2023. The DSDF identifies Blaauwberg Road and part of Marine Drive as prioritised areas for mixed land use, and higher density development; and pursues improved access to coastal opportunity areas such as the Table View beachfront.”
The key spatial strategies for the Blaauwberg Road Corridor:
- Plan for employment and improve access to economic opportunities – while the economy along Blaauwberg Road is currently service and retail based, there is a potential for a greater mix of economic opportunities.
- To enhance access to the Marine Circle area and the coastline, which is a destination for sport and recreation, and tourism.
- The Western section of the corridor between Marine Circle and the R27 can be developed further as a mixed-use economic area. The shift to remote work brings opportunities to local business nodes and its proximity to the coast gives Blaauwberg Road a competitive advantage.
- Development should be cognisant of the surrounding natural assets such as Rietvlei and the coast, and capacity constraints of the current services infrastructure.
- Blaauwberg Road is a trunk MyCiTi route; increasing densities in the surrounding corridor will give more people access to opportunities along the route.
- New development should provide a range of housing opportunities to accommodate varied income levels.
The corridor is divided into four precincts, each with its own characteristics, sense of place, opportunities and challenges. The LSDF proposes development guidelines and interventions for each precinct:
Precinct 1: Includes the coastal line, a major local and tourist destination with views of Table Mountain and the Marine Circle area. This natural asset should be enhanced and the surrounding area upgraded, inclusive of the Marine Circle area.
Precinct 2: Stretches from the West Coast Road intersection to the Janssens Avenue intersection. This precinct includes several shopping centres.
Precinct 3: Stretches from the intersection with Janssens Avenue to just past Gie Road, with the nodes around Flamingo Square and Boy de Goede Circle.
Precinct 4: Stretches from past the intersection with Gie Road to the intersection with Koeberg/Potsdam Road, and includes the Potsdam Outspan site which borders the Killarney Racetrack.
The draft also proposes priority areas and projects for intervention to be implemented by City departments over the short- to long-term. These are based on the feedback received during the public participation process that the City hosted in September and October 2023 as part of the review of Growth Management Strategy for Blaauwberg Road.
Interested / affected parties can access the relevant documentation and submit their comments here. Alternatively, the City is hosting an Open Day at Table View Primary School in Fairway Road on Saturday, 14th of September 2024 between 10:00am and 14:00pm.
Comment period extended to Monday, 11th of November 2024.
