6
Notices
Development update
GrasmereDevelopment in Modderfontein continues to progress and there is
talk of more to come. There are changes happening all the time and it is easy
to feel like they are just going to happen without any consideration or input
from the people living in the area. With this in mind a committee has been set
up to try and keep up to speed with the development plans and where possi-
ble give input into the process. The committee was initiated by residents from
Thornhill and is a joint effort made up of Thornhill and Lakeside residents. The
Modderfontein Community Working Group (MCWG) hopes to be a voice for
the community and will engage with the developers to get answers and give
input. There have been some initial meetings to set up the committee and we
have also met with various parties involved in the development.
The committee met with Nevada (the developers of the shopping centre) and
items of discussion included:
• Robots or traffic circles? I am sure you have heard that we will have various
sets of traffic lights installed along Johannesburg road. We believe that this
will slow down traffic flow along the road, increase noise and air pollution,
and cause congestion for us as we enter and leave the Village as we wait for
the lights to change at the intersection outside the Village. There are plans to
have slipways to try speed up traffic flow but we think that traffic will still be
slowed down. The committee have spoken to the developers (Nevada) and
Johannesburg Roads Agency and both of them are in favour of traffic lights. We
are looking at how we can put in an objection to the traffic lights and are re-
viewing our options in this regard. We will keep you informed as we progress.
• Security. The committee met with Nevada to understand their plans for
security and how we might link up the security efforts of the two estates and
the shopping centre. It is early days and this will be an ongoing discussion. The
developers plan to have a number plate recognition system as part of their
security. This will be able to pick up false plates or stolen cars before they
enter the shopping parking and have security deal with it. Our own security
committee have been looking at systems like this as an option for the Village
and we will investigate how we might be able to work together.
• Construction plans. There are two development areas that Nevada will be
working on, the construction at the shopping centre and development of the
land along the lake. For the moment they are focused on the shopping centre
and will only start work on the lakeside land in 2018. The shopping centre will
have a modern look (too late to change that) but the lake area will have more
of a historic feel. The land along the lake is not owned by Nevada, but they
have leased the land and will upgrade and maintain it as part of a 99
year lease. There will be park area and family restaurant. Construction at
the shopping centre will stop over from the 15 December and start again in