Safety the main concern for soon-to-be gated communities
Residents say that the move aims to create a safer environment that is easier to secure.
Eldoraigne Village has taken a significant step towards enhancing its safety and security by submitting paperwork to restrict access to the neighbourhood.
Residents say that the move aims to create a safer environment that is easier to secure.
Eldoraigne Village is one of many neighbourhoods in the area making this move, with Eldo Heights, Bishop Bird Village, Eldoraigne X18 Security Villiage, Eldo Forest Security Village and Eldo Urban also applying to restrict access.
Jaco van Zyl, the resident heading the move in Eldoraigne Village, said that the process to apply for restricted access had been long, but he was glad that they had not given up.
Van Zyl said that security was the main reason for the application, but also expected that the added safety would impact property values in the community.
“The streets will be open, our kids can ride their bikes in the streets, old people can walk around the block and residents can go for runs in the morning without having to worry.”
Eldoraigne Villiage submitted paperwork on May 9, and will now wait for approval from the City of Tshwane before it can begin constructing security gates into the neighbourhood.
“The process started at the end of 2019,” said Van Zyl.
“When we held our public meeting, it was a week before lockdown. So after that, we couldn’t go around from door-to-door to get consent and approval from the residents.”
Despite the setbacks, Van Zyl said: “I am very excited because this is one step closer to closing off our area.”
COMMUNITY CONCERNED ABOUT CRIME
Van Zyl said that the main concern behind the application was crime in the area.
“The crime picked up in the past few months. It’s during the day, it isn’t even at night. A few of us neighbours came together to do patrolling at night. There’s about 20 of us doing shifts at night.”
“But even as we speak, there was a burglary today at around 10:00.”
The application is only a step in the long process of becoming a restricted access community.
“From now, we have to wait nine to 12 months to get approval from the City. Once we have approval, we will start with the booms before we put up the fences.”
To get permission to restrict access into a neighbourhood, 70% of property owners in the enclosed area need to sign the application.
The cost for the closure needs to be carried by the property owners, with each neighbourhood deciding how this must be structured.
“The costs are about R1 770 per household, per month for the initial installation. After that, we will have a payment scheme, to which all of the pledged property owners can contribute to.
“Never give up. It took me a few years, but we never gave up and we saw it through. We need to care about each other and stick together. People need to become friendly neighbours and keep each other informed.”
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Jan Malan, who has been assisting neighbourhoods with these types of applications since 1998, said that restricted access has had a dramatic effect in the areas he has worked on.
“Once the initial application has gone through and the area secured, the neighbourhood needs to reapply every two years,” he explained.
“As part of that application, we have to do traffic impact studies and crime analysis. We see about a 90% drop in crime.”
Malan explained that according to legislation, two-thirds of residents need to agree to the proposal, with applications taking about a year to approve.
Ward 69 councillor Cindy Billson said that safety was a concern in many of these neighbourhoods as other options for security were often difficult to organise and did not have as much of an impact.
“On a local government level, this is a bit of a headache,” she said.
“ So, helping communities to establish a safe area where they can live is a priority.”
Billson said that in 2019, Tshwane revised the policy that enables an area where the community can control and monitor its safety.
She said that community involvement and support were important in the process to enclose an area as she advised residents in other areas interested to begin the long process.
“Contact your ward councillor. Get the required documentation. Get a group of people crazy enough to give time and energy to start the process. This requires willing souls with a lot of determination.”
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