The Spatial Land Use Management (SPLUM) by-law has been referred back to the City Planning Oversite Committee (CPOC) following pressure by the Democratic Alliance (DA) during an extraordinary council meeting recently.
After a speech by DA spokesperson for the CPOC Clr Heather Hart, council resolved that the item was problematic and not a procedural compliant.
Hart said the referral of the item back to oversight follows another attempt by the Ekurhuleni metro to push through the by-laws, which are controversial for a number of reasons, mainly relating to the lack of public participation to the drafting of by-laws.
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“Both residents and councillors have been left frustrated by the metro’s refusal to listen to requests to make administration around properties in the metro more accessible.
“Notwithstanding the need for development, the metro has lost a golden opportunity to champion the rights of existing ratepayers by ignoring calls to amend the metro’s SPLUM by-laws. Reviewing these by-laws would improve the administrative capacity of the City Planning Department and ultimately drastically improve the lives of property-owning residents,” she said
During the council meeting in Germiston on January 31, the DA submitted a minority report containing 22 clauses within SPLUMA that deemed it to be administratively unfair.
One example is the City Planning Department’s refusal to be held accountable in ensuring that ward councillors receive applications more timeously, which would assist them in notifying residents regarding applications that could impact their futures.
“Reviewing these by-laws would improve the administrative capacity of the City Planning Department and ultimately drastically improve the lives of property-owning residents,” said Hart
She continued to say that it is an unacceptable situation which could easily be remedied by implementing the DA’s recommendations for a mutual win-win situation.
“Of even greater concern is that developers employ town planners and attorneys on their payroll and yet very little assistance is provided to the man on the street when it comes to fighting against developments that threaten the nature of their communities.
“The least the metro could do is ensure that they receive the necessary information regarding these matters,” she concluded.
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