RESIDENTS of Clairwood are taking eThekwini Municipality to the Durban High Court over the proposed rezoning of the area. This follows a meeting held at YAS Hall in Clairwood recently.

On October 24, community members are expected to picket outside the Durban High Court to air their dissatisfaction over the proposed zoning of the area.

Early this year, the municipality made a proposal to zone the area so that it meets developmental needs of the community. However, residents feel that making such changes to the area will have a negative impact on their cultural sites.

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Although eThekwini has been communicating with the Clairwood residents, explaining the purpose of the proposal, the residents are still not convinced that the new proposed development will bear fruits for their area.

Clairwood residents march to Durban City Hall

In April this year, a group of more than 300 disgruntled residents from Clairwood marched to the eThekwini Town Planning offices to protest against the proposed rezoning of the Clairwood Logistic Park.

Since the inception of the consultation process on the amendment to the Land Use Scheme in the Clairwood area to Special Zone 40: Logistics, residents have been at loggerheads with the officials as they believe that the proposed rezoning of the logistic park will have a negative impact on residential areas and heritage sites.

The municipality further stated that the purpose of the amendment is to create a quality environment in line with the City’s vision. And this will ensure better management of the area.

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“Clairwood has always been a mixed use area with industry surrounding a residential core. The intended masterplan looks to creating uses that respond directly to the port. The City aims to ensure that all land uses in the area are done legally and within the ambit of the relevant regulations, making it a safe, manageable space for all users,” said eThekwini in a statement.

The Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (Spluma) application is a translation of the already adopted Local Area Plan (LAP).

It also looks at the following:

• Proposed adoption of a masterplan for the area
• A zone that will assist the decision-maker in delivering this vibrant and important project for the city.

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