Metro’s building plan office closures raise concerns among developers and architects

Pretoria developers, architects, and residents have raised their concerns about the metro’s decision to temporarily close two of its busiest building control offices for refurbishments, because of the resulting delays in submissions and approvals.

However, the metro said operations did continue during the refurbishments, with officials temporarily stationed at unaffected offices to receive applications.

The Shear Building Office in Region 6 and the Centurion Building Office in Region 4, both critical hubs for plan submissions, were closed simultaneously for two weeks in June as part of ongoing efforts to improve municipal facilities.

Ward 82 councillor Siobhan Muller said the closure affected many professionals who were unable to submit, access or approve plans during that period, leaving developers unable to proceed with projects.

She believes the shutdown undermined investor confidence and stalled developments that could have contributed to revenue for the municipality.

“This directly impacts the city’s economic development. Developers are sitting idle because their building plans haven’t been processed, and the city will now charge them higher submission fees from July 1.”

“People were prepared and ready to submit under the old rates, but because of this closure, they are now penalised. This is unacceptable,” Muller said.

She questioned how the metro could close two major offices at the same time without offering alternative submission points or remote support.

According to Muller, the metro has let down developers, residents, businesses, and architects by not planning properly.

“How do you close two of the biggest offices at the same time and not allow submissions elsewhere?” she asked.

Muller added that the metro needs to prioritise service delivery in a way that supports both residents and professionals.

“Developers and architects have been left frustrated, and residents are questioning Tshwane’s commitment to economic growth.”

She said they cannot continue like this if they want to be taken seriously as a capital city.

The Pretoria Institute for Architecture (PIA) echoed Muller’s concerns, saying members have felt the impact of the closure.

In a letter to the city, the institute said it received the office closure notice one working day before the start of the refurbishment.

“While we appreciate improvements to office environments, at least a week’s notice would have been more reasonable.”

PIA called for urgent intervention, including extended consultation hours after reopening and a grace period for submissions under the 2024/25 fee structure until July 11.

The organisation said some members had already collected submission fees from clients based on the old rates and argued it was unfair for them to now pay the increased fees because of an office closure outside their control.

It had also warned of a possible influx of submissions on June 30, the last day before the new fees took effect, which might overwhelm administrative staff and cause further delays.

Responding to questions from Rekord, metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the refurbishments were essential to improve service delivery in the long term.

He said the metro had taken measures to ensure operations continued during the closure.

“All existing buildings need maintenance from time to time. This helps create a better working environment and improves service delivery.

“The refurbishments were planned to ensure efficient service delivery and a user-friendly environment,” Mashigo said.

He stressed that operations were not halted during the refurbishment period and that officials were temporarily stationed at other offices unaffected by the renovations to receive new applications.

Mashigo added that the evaluation of building plans by plan examiners was also proceeding.

He dismissed suggestions of backlogs in regions 4 and 6.

“There is no backlog in these regions. There was no influx of submissions, and operations went ahead during the refurbishment period.”

Regarding the issue of higher submission fees, Mashigo said the metro would not extend the deadline for submitting under the old rates.

“The Building Control Section in Region 6 was receiving applications during the refurbishment period. There is no need for an extension,” he said.

Mashigo confirmed that a new plan examiner will be appointed in Region 6 from September 1 to strengthen operations further.

ALSO READ: Selfoon-toepassing bring dienslewering nader aan inwoners

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.