Buffalo City is reviving its defunct development agency, a project which will see its scope extended to cover the dilapidated inner city.
Addressing the media earlier this week, executive mayor Alfred Mtsi said one of the biggest challenges in the metro was development.
Mtsi said the exercise to revive the agency had already started.
“We are in the process of reviewing the entire scope of operation of the board because the initial mandate was to develop the beachfront.
“But we are now saying that is not enough. We are considering expanding the scope of their work to the inner city development. But beyond that we are looking at a broader scope of developing the metro.”
The previous board’s projects included the revamp of Marina Glen (commonly known as Ebuhlanti), Seaview Terrace developments on the beachfront, and major developments in Nahoon Mouth.
The Nahoon Mouth development was set to include golf-themed accommodation and a conference facility, an extended astro-turf facility, a holiday resort and conference centre, a low-impact resort with chalet-type accommodation and a restaurant. However, all came to nothing.
Instead, the Andrew Hendricks-led BCDA board resigned in May 2009.
Mtsi said the previous BCDA structure was “a bit defunct”.
“We are trying to reactivate that structure with staff. We are embarking on a process of appointing a chief executive officer.
“The other challenge they had was office accommodation,” he said.
In order to assist the board, once fully established, to roll out its plan, Mtsi said the council may have to craft a by-law to regulate street vendors operating in the city centre, and change some of the main streets into one-way streets to ease the traffic.
He said the only thing standing in the way of finalising such changes was the issue of a lack of space.
“There is an idea of moving all vendors to a central place.
“But the big question is where do you place them,” said Mtsi.
He said some members of the council and officials from the planning department will visit the small Western Cape town of Drakenstein to see how to effect such changes when there is not much space to play with.
BCM eyes inner city revamp
Addressing the media earlier this week, executive mayor Alfred Mtsi said one of the biggest challenges in the metro was development.
Mtsi said the exercise to revive the agency had already started.
“We are in the process of reviewing the entire scope of operation of the board because the initial mandate was to develop the beachfront.
“But we are now saying that is not enough. We are considering expanding the scope of their work to the inner city development. But beyond that we are looking at a broader scope of developing the metro.”
The previous board’s projects included the revamp of Marina Glen (commonly known as Ebuhlanti), Seaview Terrace developments on the beachfront, and major developments in Nahoon Mouth.
The Nahoon Mouth development was set to include golf-themed accommodation and a conference facility, an extended astro-turf facility, a holiday resort and conference centre, a low-impact resort with chalet-type accommodation and a restaurant. However, all came to nothing.
Instead, the Andrew Hendricks-led BCDA board resigned in May 2009.
Mtsi said the previous BCDA structure was “a bit defunct”.
“We are trying to reactivate that structure with staff. We are embarking on a process of appointing a chief executive officer.
“The other challenge they had was office accommodation,” he said.
In order to assist the board, once fully established, to roll out its plan, Mtsi said the council may have to craft a by-law to regulate street vendors operating in the city centre, and change some of the main streets into one-way streets to ease the traffic.
He said the only thing standing in the way of finalising such changes was the issue of a lack of space.
“There is an idea of moving all vendors to a central place.
“But the big question is where do you place them,” said Mtsi.
He said some members of the council and officials from the planning department will visit the small Western Cape town of Drakenstein to see how to effect such changes when there is not much space to play with.
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