Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has embarked on its public participation process regarding plans for the old Woodstock Hospital site, renamed by those occupying it as “Cissie Gool House.”
The City said the public participation process would run from September 27 to November 27 and residents, the Woodstock community and interested or affected persons are invited to make submissions.
Mayco member for human settlements Carl Pophaim said: “The total extent of the property, valued at approximately R87 million, including a potential residential development yield of approximately 500 units, comprising open market and social housing, will be disposed of subject to the provision of affordable housing. All due process is being followed in ensuring we progress definitively on this long-awaited development.”
Reclaim the City’s Karen Hendricks said Cissie Gool House residents had transformed the site since 2017, with the building now home to 348 families, many women-led households.
“According to a 2019 report commissioned by the City (Stedone report) the site can be incrementally developed without evicting or displacing residents.
“City mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has publicly committed to the incremental development of CGH (Cissie Gool House).
“In a recent dialogue between CGH and the mayor, the mayor agreed that the site could be incrementally developed but he clarified that not all the residents of CGH will be returned back to the site after development.
“Of course we are sceptical and have concerns about this because it may lead to displacement (eviction).”
Hendricks said they supported incremental development without displacement.
“We too hope that the mayor will meaningfully engage with us as residents as he publicly committed to recently and that our right to housing, our right to live and build an inclusive City and our vision for the future of the site can be realised through these democratic participatory processes.”
Pophaim said the illegal occupation of the site was the biggest delay to the development.
“The City will conduct engagements with the unlawful occupants as part of the broad public participation process to be undertaken for the disposal of the property.
“The response for the existing occupants will be dependent on the socio-economic profile of the households. The City intends to engage the households on the options available to them to determine the appropriate response for each household in terms of council policy and legislation,” Pophaim said.
Comments, recommendations and inputs can be submitted via email to: [email protected] or online at www.capetown.gov.za/ haveyoursay
Those unable to read or write or persons with disabilities unable to submit written comments can contact 021 400 9825 or email LeanetteAnathi. [email protected].
Cape Argus