A DURBAN North resident is concerned over what he claims is inconsistency within the eThekwini Municipality’s town planning and rezoning department.

Over the years, Matt Hansen and his neighbours have noticed that the area has been inundated with rezoning applications to change a residential neighbourhood to a business, much like what’s happening in the Broadway area of the suburb.

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“Residents in the area are constantly objecting to rezoning applications in groups because if they don’t and they are approved it sets the precedent which will change the suburb forever,” said Hansen.

Hansen, for the second time now, is representing 27 residents who have lodged an appeal against the City’s approval of a 42-unit development on 43 Stirling Crescent. The appeal was lodged in December and the outcome is yet to be finalised.

The previous development which residents objected to was at 41 Stirling Crescent in 2022 where a four-unit complex was proposed.

The City accepted Hansen and his neighbour’s objection but two years later, these residents are baffled as to how the 42-unit complex on 43 Stirling Crescent has been approved.

Using this as a case in point, he claims that the City’s planning department is inconsistent.

“In 2022 the new owner of 41 Stirling Crescent demolished the single property that had existed on the 2000m2 site and applied to rezone from Special Residential 1200 to Special Residential 400 to allow him to put four oversized units taking up most of the site, so it was surprising when the owners of 43 Stirling Crescent that borders 41 Stirling and my property applied for rezoning from Special Residential 1200 straight to Medium Density Housing which would permit up to 42 flats/units on the 4000m2 property, so much worse in density to 41 Stirling Crescent,” he said.

In the City’s objection to 41 Stirling Crescent, it stated that the reason for this was that the ‘rezoning would result in significant changes in the permitted bulk factors and the space about buildings which in turn may have a negative impact on the residential amenities enjoyed by surrounding properties’.

It further stated that the ‘increased density permitted under Special Residential 400 zone is likely to be out of character with the uniformly low-density residential neighbourhoods located to the east of Umhlanga Rocks Drive and may diminish the unique residential amenities enjoyed by property owners along Stirling Crescent’.

He said their concerns were the regular water interruptions, the increased traffic and congestion as this development could bring about 80 cars to the area.

Hansen said 43 Stirling Crescent also borders the Chinese Consulate property, which he is certain will not be happy with the increased security risk and increased traffic.

“One has to question what are the factors that the City takes into consideration before rezoning and passing plans for developments as it does not seem to be consistent by just comparing these two cases,” he said.

Spokesperson for eThekwini Municipality, Gugu Sisilana, said the matter is still under appeal and did not comment further.

“The matter is subject to an appeal process and the decision is pending,” she said.

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