Property and Investment / Property Trends
Any development within Bo-Kaap requires a permit from Heritage Western Cape , the provincial enforcer of heritage legislation , and SAHRA makes a point of providing comment .
Heritage legislation protects a particular demarcated space , but properties in the buffer zone do not require a permit from the heritage authority . In the case of the proposed 18-storey building , because it is on the boundaries of Bo-Kaap , a comment is required from the heritage agency , but not a permit , even though it is considered highly undesirable because it impacts on the historical fabric of the place .
Mwasinga is quick to caution against conflating issues of gentrification with issues of heritage protection . For a start , heritage status does not limit property rights , he says : ‘ There is nothing that stops someone from selling their property .’ Heritage legislation also does not affect rates and taxes because those are determined as a function of the municipality .
Finally , heritage legislation protects spaces that are important for cultural use but does not protect the culture itself . Mwasinga clarifies : ‘ Heritage will protect the physical fabric of the site from an aesthetic perspective in order to protect the use of the site .’ For example , it will not dictate how , where – or even whether – Bo-Kaap residents observe the traditions of Ramadan , but it will protect a square that is used traditionally for neighbourhood iftaar ( end-of-fast ) gatherings .
Woodstock
Urban rejuvenation can in fact empower the original residents of a neighbourhood even while meeting the demand for new affordable and upmarket housing and commercial space . For this to happen , according to Lewin Rolls , who researched regeneration in Woodstock for his masters in 2016 , gentrification policies have to favour the poor . He puts forward a number of suggestions for how this can be achieved .
• For a start , he suggests , planners can encourage economic development that supports small businesses , and make sure that public infrastructure benefits everyone living in and using the area .
• State-owned land can be developed for mixed-use and mixed-income development , with a focus on affordable housing . Municipalities can focus on creating social housing stock and prioritise their development within shorter time frames . This affordable social housing should be kept as such in perpetuity . Further , social subsidies can be provided for evictees to return to Woodstock when that housing becomes available .
• Transparent , inclusive planning and zoning will help to make sure that the needs of low-income residents and small local businesses are not disregarded . Therefore , he emphasises , all stakeholders have to be included in decision making about the maintenance and improvement of infrastructure , so that ‘ officials , residents and NGO representatives engage in a process of co-designing the future of Woodstock .’
• Rolls also suggests broadening the Urban Development Tax Incentive to focus on economic development and support for small businesses , and incentivising the development of social housing . In addition , he suggests applying a Woodstock Local Area Overlay Zone that ‘ allows the municipality to apply specific development controls that reflect local circumstances and to encourage development that supports the local economy .’ Opening the streets to local markets and community celebrations would go a long way towards building a new sense of community – or reviving an old one .
Change is the only constant Cities are always changing , but for cities to be developed in a just , equitable and democratic way , rejuvenation has to protect the people who are already living in the inner city , and make sure their needs are provided for in the course of development . As Rolls writes : ‘ The city should be one that is accessible to all , where neighbourhood development creates equal opportunities for all , thereby allowing for the social and economic growth for all who reside in or have access to the city , not just the affluent minority .’
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