Cape Town Foreshore Housing Plan Lacks Unit Target as GOOD Challenges Costs

The City of Cape Town's plan to unlock 15 hectares of prime Foreshore land has put its affordable housing promise under scrutiny, with no figure yet given for how many affordable homes will form part of the new inner-city neighbourhood.

The development, unveiled by Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis on October 2, includes plans for a new inner-city neighbourhood alongside major changes to the freeway network. Affordable accommodation forms part of the proposal, but the City has not given a figure for the number of units or indicated what type of affordable housing is being considered.

GOOD mayoral candidate Brett Herron has challenged Hill-Lewis over the housing commitment as well as the cost of the wider project. “If Cape Town's ‘plan’ to develop the Foreshore is real, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis must tell residents what it's going to cost, who is going to pay, how long it is going to take, whether Transnet has agreed to release port land, and how many affordable houses will be delivered,” he said.

The City's proposal would be developed in phases and could take decades to complete. The first phase proposes widening the inbound freeway and building a link bridge over Buitengracht Street to connect the freeway directly to Helen Suzman Boulevard, which the City says would free up three parcels of land for residential development.

A second phase proposes an outbound tunnel and the demolition of the existing elevated outbound freeway, freeing up more land for development and public space. The City is still in discussions with Transnet over Port Authority land needed for the tunnel, and construction of the second phase could continue until about 2040, according to the City.

Hill-Lewis has said the project is still in its early stages, with public participation, detailed engineering, funding decisions and procurement still ahead. “There is a lot of work to do and a long way to go,” he said.