Residents angered by 1 Bompas advertorial

Titled Residents association in question: One Bompas is innocent, the advertorial ostensibly sought to clarify the ‘real facts’ around the controversial development.

Grant claimed the actions of Craigpark Residents Association against the office park development at the corner of Bompas Road and Northumberland Avenue “stirred unnecessary community unrest”, and that neighbouring residents had nothing to worry about when it came to invasion of privacy or the effect on property values.

Neighbouring resident Tim Owen disputed Grant’s assertion that privacy would not be compromised.

“The most astounding claim made by Grant is that my property will not lose any privacy, which he tried to prove by rigging up a cherry-picker at a static point at the far south end of the site and taking photographs from there,” he said.

“If he had rigged it up 100m further north, the view would have been of my front garden. I could see workmen standing on the top of the first floor, so I’m pretty sure they could see me.”

In an email resident Eckehardt Ficinus wrote, “The first floor already has penetrating views into neighbouring properties, never mind the levels still to be built. How this development was ever passed is mind-boggling.”

With regard to property values, Owen sought advice from Lew Geffen Sotheby’s estate agent Kass Bunkel who stated, “It would be difficult to estimate how a development of this sort would affect the value of your property… It would make a sale exceptionally difficult…”

Reea epilepsy foundation volunteer Daniella Alexander also took umbrage at the advertorial, which implied that the residents’ association’s objection to a re-zoning application made by Reea had led to the foundation no longer being able to provide safe accommodation to its residents.

“While we are struggling financially, our residents are safely accommodated, and no decision has been made to close the hostel,” she said.

Another error contained in the advertorial was Grant’s assertion that Hugh Wyndham Park was not a wetland.

City Parks’ Jenny Moodley said, “There is a wetland system at [the park], which receives rain water from Rosebank and surrounds. The area… forms part of an ecological open space system which consists of complex storm water channels and a stream which discharges into the Braamfontein Spruit.”

In the advertorial, Grant alleged the remains of two dead bodies had been found on the Craigpark koppie, part of which is on the 1 Bompas property.

However, Parkview Police Station commander Colonel Nanda Moodley said he received no reports of bodies being found on the property.

Residents’ association spokesperson Wendy McAllister stated that the association had consistently acted in the best interests of all property owners in the vicinity of 1 Bompas.

“We will continue to deal with the issues, and will draw attention to a number of inaccuracies in the advertorial,” she said.