Calling on residents and interested parties to comment on the proposed “development” which will devastate the Oude Molen Community & the Cape Town green corridor
Invitation to a Town Hall on the proposed development at Oude Molen Eco Village
When: Tuesday 7th of May
Where: Oude Molen Hall
Time: 17.30
Provincial government has proposed a new development application for Oude Molen which will have devastating consequences for the vibrant historic Oude Molen eco-village with its mix of urban gardening, social and community enterprises and small businesses bordering the Black River.
There have been multiple previous efforts to re-develop Oude Molen, including a 2015 plan, which proposed to use Oude Molen for a development primarily focusing on affordable housing.
That effort was pending a co-design process with local stakeholders – but was dismissed when it didn’t fit with the City and Province priorities. In 2021 the province appointed another set of consultants who convened a stakeholder process, only for that process to also be set aside.
The impact of development in this precinct will not only devastate Oude Molen – it will have irreparable consequences on the vital green corridor together with the Two Rivers Urban Park.
This green corridor has already been restricted by the development at the old River Club and this new proposed development at Oude Molen will restrict this vital green corridor even further.
In March this year, the public was invited to register as Interested and Affected parties for a new public participation process but had to do so by 1 April 2024. No information is provided about the nature of the development at this stage but a recent Daily Maverick article highlighted some of the concerns raised by local organisations about the process.
The Public Meeting on Tuesday 7thMay will discuss how best civil society stakeholders can respond to this process. The meeting will run for one hour till 6.30pm unless participants want to continue discussing beyond one hour. We hope to use the meeting to forge a strong alliance of civil society organisations so we can be better prepared and seek to speak with one voice on this matter. As we have learned from the River Club, the authorities will only benefit from the community being divided.
Please feel free to attend and share this invite with others you think may want to participate.