Shopping centre turns into Mental Wellness Clinic
How many of our community are aware of the fact that an application for rezoning of a prominent business feature within the precincts of Brackendowns and Brackenhurst has been tendered?
ALBERTON – The manner in which the notice at the premises under discussion was displayed is most disturbing. Typed in standard font size (11) on an A4 sheet of white paper and affixed near the entrance to the business premises for about an hour, and then surreptitiously removed with one other similar sheet of paper at one corner of the premises only.
Existing tenants have only become aware of the notice by chance or luck. They are not happy about this because it smacks of keeping them in the dark for as long as possible to ensure lease payments continue. These tenants have put up with highly disruptive inconvenience for more than a year now during renovations, some with great hopes and dreams for their future.
The notice in question is an application for rezoning from “Business 3” to “Institutional”, namely that of a Mental Wellness Hospital. The application has been lodged by the agent for the owners, Wynand Theron of Edenvale.(082 444 5997).
These areas are already plagued by a sewage system that cannot cope with the multiple household developments, from single family to up to five per erf now and a new cafe/takeaway that is producing fat and oil deposits in the sewer system, which caused the cleansing crew to question where all the fat deposits were coming from.
Please be kind enough to put my concerns to the community in these areas. Councillor Estelle Visser is being contacted by tenants of the business centre situated at the corner of De Waal and Rae Frankel Streets, Brackendowns.
M. Shackleford
COMMENT:
The RECORD has been trying to make contact with Wynand Theron via email, but he has not replied at the time of going to print. Should readers wish to lodge complaints against the planned rezoning, they must make sure they do so on or before Tuesday, December 2, 2014.
Particulars of the application will lie for inspection at the Alberton Customer Care Centre, City Planning, Level 11, Alberton Civic Centre. Alwyn Taljaard Avenue. Objections to, or representations in respect of the application must be lodged with, or made in writing to the Area Manager City Planning at the above address or at PO Box 4, Alberton, 1450 within 28 days from November 5.
Editor
The notice referred to in M Shackleford’s letter was brought to my attention on 5 November 2014 and I too was appalled at the small size of the legal notice placed on the fence. I was also appalled by the fact that the shop tenants were not notified before the notice was put up. This is disgraceful treatment of local business people who are a intrinsic part of our community. On returning home I immediately sent Mr Theron an email detailing my objections to the proposed rezoning. Ideally a registered letter would have been best but we all know that is impossible right now. I hope that emails sent will be read and considered but given the goings on in the area regarding enforcing local municipal bylaws I feel that any objections will be ignored and money will talk. Disgraceful!