THE eThekwini Municipality says all objections were considered following the approval for the establishment of a bingo hall on Lagoon Drive in uMhlanga.

The property where the place of entertainment is located is an existing building, and will include up to 150 electronic bingo machines.

The approval of the bingo hall has been met with anger from the Umhlanga Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association (URRA) who voiced their opposition, citing concerns over traffic congestion, crime and property values.

Related story: Anger as uMhlanga ‘bingo hall’ gets go-ahead

They also raised concerns that numerous residents had submitted objections within time but these do not appear in the circulated objector register.

In a comment to Northglen News last year, the eThekwini Municipality said it had received ‘approximately 500 objections’ to the project, however URRA said this was particularly troubling as they allege there were between 900 to 1000 objections to what they call a ‘large-scale gambling facility’.

“All objections received were duly considered, assessed, and evaluated as part of a thorough and structured decision-making process. It is noted that some objections were submitted via the Ratepayers’ Association to the North Land Use Management Office,” explained the City’s marketing and communications deputy head Gugu Sisilana.

Also read: Residents stand opposed to proposed ‘bingo hall’

“A significant number of submissions were in a petition-style format, where a standard objection letter was completed and signed by multiple property owners. While many of these submissions contained similar content, each was included in the documentation presented to the decision-maker,” she said.

Residents have until Monday, April 6, to appeal the decision.

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