Heritage Western Cape approval of Parow Station Precinct exemption proposal

[Pintel]

In May Heritage Western Cape approved an application by the City of Cape Town to exempt the Parow Station Precinct protections under the National Heritage Resources Act [PDF]. 

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The precinct, which is adjacent to the Parow Station and bounded by Voortrekker Road, Tygervallei, Cloete and Picton streets, needs urban regeneration and investment, according to the City.

In a statement on 13 May, Nieuwoudt said: "This precinct is the first in South Africa to be exempted from Sections 34 of the NHRA. Should this decision from HWC take effect, it will reduce unnecessary regulatory processes. It could also very well reduce the time it takes to approve developments and bring down the cost. All of this will improve the financial viability of development in the Parow Station Precinct."

On 6 June 2019, GroundUp reported that the City had proposed an exemption of the Precinct from protections under the National Heritage Resources Act. At the time, the proposal was met with mixed reactions in the area, with some property owners saying building more affordable houses in Parow would be a bad idea.

"With the reduction of costs and approval times, investor confidence will be stimulated, which improves the likelihood of the development of affordable housing opportunities in well-located areas such as the Parow Station Precinct … It is ideally located to stimulate growth and to create more inclusive communities with access to improved services, job opportunities, and affordable housing and public transport," said Nieuwoudt.

What is your take, is it a good or bad idea? Do you think this will open opportunity in an area that has seen shocking degeneration in recent years?

[The Syndicate]

On 7/3/2020 at 1:54 PM, Pintel said:

In May Heritage Western Cape approved an application by the City of Cape Town to exempt the Parow Station Precinct protections under the National Heritage Resources Act [PDF]. 

What is your take, is it a good or bad idea? Do you think this will open opportunity in an area that has seen shocking degeneration in recent years?

Parow, especially Parow Central has become a crime-ridden migrant slum in recent years, so this will be good news for slum lords. I think with these heritage restrictions lifted we are far more likely to see the area descent into a Hillbrow or Yeoville lookalike where you don't have trap houses but instead trap towers where entire apartment complexes are infested with drug dealers and prostitutes.

This should have been opposed, the area needs more regulation not less. 

[The Syndicate]

Here is how I think it will look.

Before:

After:

[Material Boy]

That neighbourhood currently

 

Edited July 24, 2020 by Material Boy