This is an excerpt from the OCA newsletter of 22 April 2018. Subscribe to OCA Updates here.
The next meeting of the OCA committee is 6.30pm-8.30pm Tuesday 24 April, at the Obs Community Centre. (You can get minutes from our last meeting here.)
Here are a few highlights from the past month:
Hartleyvale Stadium: The OCA held a packed meeting on 10 April to discuss the three-year lease granted to Cape Town City FC for use of the Hartleyvale Stadium grounds (at a rate of R8500 per month), as well as the proposal from Cape Town City FC’s owner to build a 10,000 seater stadium next to Hartleyvale. Reports from the meeting were carried on GroundUp and in the Cape Argus. The OCA’s own Tauriq Jenkins also appeared on Cape Talk the following week, alongside Cape Town councillor Stuart Diamond, to discuss residents’ concerns (listen online here). Minutes of the meeting are here.
The OCA is convening a Hartleyvale taskteam to work further on this issue, which will meet on Wednesday 2 May. To get involved, contact [email protected].
Water Warriors: The OCA Water and Sanitation Committee (Obs Water Warriors) will meet Monday 23 April (tonight) at 6pm at the Observatory Community Centre. Please join us for water updates, feedback and discussion. We are also inviting people who are interested in joining the organising committee, and to participate in the Water Census!
Large Developments: This month the OCA’s Large Developments Group held a discussion with representatives of Reclaim the City, with an aim to develop a long-term strategy on inclusivity and social/affordable housing in Observatory. This discussion is at a very early stage, but could set pre-conditions to shape future development projects coming to Observatory.
Read the full monthly report of the Large Developments Group here.
Architecture & Heritage: The OCA’s Architecture & Heritage team has put together an interactive map to help residents keep abreast of ongoing building developments in Obs. Explore the map here to view the locations of some of the major, minor and proposed developments in the neighbourhood. The online map includes an update on the status of the 25 large active developments in Observatory, provided by the OCA’s Large developments Group.
Read the full Architecture & Heritage report here.
Social issues: The OCA’s Carolyn Neville reports that the pilot ‘token’ scheme is ready to be launched next month – this scheme will allow people to purchase a food token which can be redeemed at participating businesses, as a way of getting a meal to a hungry person in need. The scheme is due to launch on 25 May, with a workshop on 26 May to sensitise residents to issues facing homeless people in Obs. A full report of the Social Issues portfolio, and the Liquor Licenses sub committee, is here.
Two Rivers Urban Parks Association (TRUPA): in light of updates in the past two months in development proposals around the Two Rivers Urban Park, the TRUPA is developing a ‘full consultation and co-design’ strategy to ensure no proposal proceeds without the input and vision of those who are most closely connected to this sensitive heritage site. A full report on the TRUPA is here.
River Club heritage status: On Friday, Heritage Western Cape declared provisional protection for the River Club site, which means any proposed development on that erf will require oversight from provincial heritage authorities. This welcome decision is thanks to the vigilance of Obs residents and will introduce another layer of oversight and consultation on development in the area. More details here.
Get involved: Would you like to become more active in the OCA’s work on a particular issue? These include Large Developments, Arts Sports & Culture, Business Forum, Water & Sanitation, Communications, Social Issues, Architecture & Heritage. If so, email [email protected].
In particular, Leslie London of the Large Developments Group is looking for residents who can help do desktop research for the list of large developments, or help to develop a short DVD on development in Obs for public awareness.
Inform the community: We want to make this monthly newsletter available to Obs residents who are not currently OCA members. If you know someone who would find this newsletter useful, please invite them to subscribe here.
Please do join us on Tuesday 24 April, 6.30pm-8.30pm at the Community Centre!
– Observatory Civic Association