The Norscot Manor Recreation Centre hall was packed with Douglasdale residents on the evening of 16 August, when a community meeting was held to address rising concerns about a planned development in the area.
The meeting, organised and hosted by Ward 106 councillor Chris Santana, was in response to some 65 complaints Santana had received over the past few weeks.
The complaints were mostly objections to the planned construction of 225 dwelling units and a park on land near the corner of Douglas Drive and Galloway Avenue, which some believe would create even more strain on the area’s infrastructure, and increase traffic.
Santana confirmed that he had met with the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) recently with regard to the community’s unease. “The plans for this development were approved in 2007, and was originally for 60 units,” Santana told the crowd.
“But this was before Douglas Drive was designated as a Class 3 road.”
According to the City of Joburg website, a Class 3 road distributes traffic between various residential, industrial and business districts of a town. According to Santana this road designation, along with the number of government departments that would need to approve construction, means that the development’s future could be less certain.
He added that he will be having another meeting with the roads agency on 18 August to gather more information.
The community meeting was also a chance for residents to raise other concerns, such as drivers who use the wrong side of the road on Douglas Drive to avoid traffic delays, and water overflow onto the streets.
The Fourways Review will keep you informed as this story develops.
Should development in the greater Fourways area be more strictly controlled? Share your views on fourwaysr@caxton.co.za
