The City of Cape Town is currently proposing significant road scheme changes in Bellville South and sent out invitations to two public participation gatherings that unpacked these changes. BSRA ensured that they had representation at the engagements. Once they realised the impact that these proposed changes could have, BSRA arranged for the City to hold a third public participation gathering so that they could ensure that interested and affected community members were able to learn about these proposed changes. This third meeting had a much bigger turnout as many residents did not know about the first two meetings. BSRA was able to motivate for a two-week extension to the public participation period, which allowed for more submissions from the public, ultimately ensuring a more participatory development process. Some of the concerns raised by the public in these submissions included:
- A disconnect between the lived realities of the Bellville South neighbourhood and the proposed road scheme, and a lack of engagement with the history and the heritage of this neighbourhood in the development of these plans.
- The prioritisation of industrial and corporate interests over the interests and needs of residents
- The fact that the scheme is likely to increase instances of squatting – a challenge that this neighbourhood is already grappling with
- The plan does not indicate how much property values will increase as a result of this scheme, which will increase residents’ rates and taxes, place increased financial pressure on Bellville South families
