Safety a major concern at new Plett shopping centre
Well-known Plettenberg Bay architect Roberto Boni has voiced a long list of concerns regarding the development generally referred to as ‘the Shoprite centre’ currently under excavation next to Plett Primary School – NIKKI RIDLEY reports
Although formal objections include aesthetics, among others, the sharing of the narrow two lane access road is of paramount concern, says Boni, who also serves as member of the School Governing Body (SGB).
In an email to the mayor dated January 27, and supplied to CXPRESS due to alleged lack of response from Bitou Municipality, Boni wrote: “The safety of our children is, first and foremost, the responsibility of a Governing Body and we thus strongly object to the fact that articulated and large delivery vehicles will have access to a road which is utilised by all parents and pupils entering and exiting the school.
“Many children walk along this road to and from school. It is inconceivable that a professional developer or municipal official can even contemplate allowing such vehicles to utilise a road such as this, which is frequented by small kids.
“The developer has undertaken to only allow deliveries outside peak periods. We all know that this will never work.”
Other objections and points raised include general safety concerns and points regarding further traffic congestion in an already congested intersection at the entrance to the school, Boni stating that “the introduction of additional traffic and more specifically in the form of articulated and large delivery vehicles will only exacerbate an already unmanageable situation”.
“Be that as it may, the main objection is the fact that approval has been given for delivery vehicles to share the same servitude road as parents, pupils and staff alike.
“Whoever approved this obviously did not apply their mind, whatsoever. We have subsequently contacted both the Western Cape Education Department and the Federation of SA Schools in order to assist us in stopping this development from proceeding in its current format.
“The school principal and I had a meeting with the mayor and then acting town manager. We were promised a follow-up meeting during the next week, in order to see if we could come to a solution. That was on January 24.”
At the time Boni sent CX-PRESS details of the concerns, he said: “To date we have not heard a word.”
However, on being asked telephonically to respond to these objections, Adel Stander of Bitou’s Planning department stated that a meeting to address these concerns had been set up for the coming week.
Regarding the aesthetics, Boni stated: “As a professional architect I was invited to a meeting with fellow professionals to comment on the aesthetics of the pro-posed development.
“There was a unanimous consensus that the design, in its present format, does in no way contribute to the aesthetic appearance of Plett, especially as it is at one of the two major entrances of our town.
“It basically looks like a huge warehouse at the entrance to one of the premier resorts in South Africa. We all agreed that a redesign needed to be done to make the building look more attractive.
“It is interesting that Checkers was going to be the anchor tenant with a 3,500m2 Blue Line store at the proposed Lighthouse Square development, which had been planned at the end of Longships.
“Unfortunately the developer, RMB, pulled out, inexplicably, at the last minute,” Boni said.
He concluded: “It is ludicrous that another development such as this has been allowed to be built in this position. From a town planning point of view, it is a HUGE mistake.”
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