The Western Cape Cabinet has approved a R3bn development where Conradie Hospital in Cape Town used to be. Conradie Hospital closed 16 years ago. The development, the ‘Conradie Better Living Model, is a step at redressing “apartheid urban space”, Premier Helen Zille said. It is situated between Thornton and Pinelands.
The development ends more than three years of planning and consultation with various stakeholders, including members of the public, through public hearings. It is expected to include affordable housing and catalyse upgrades to road infrastructure and public transport in the surrounding area.
“Transforming apartheid’s spatial planning is a big priority for the City, and this project will help accelerate our efforts in this regard. We are planning on getting more projects like these going [in other areas],” Zille said.
It was announced earlier this year that the Western Cape government was planning to sell the site to Concor Construction for R202m. “The State makes the land available and the private sector comes in to assist financially because we need to have an eye on viability and whether it can be replicated in other areas,” Zille said
Jared Rossouw, co-director at activist organisation Ndifuna Ukwazi praised the move. Ndifuna Ukwazi has been supporting lobby group Reclaim the City (RTC) in their campaign for affordable housing and urban land justice.
“Too often, neighbours object to new developments because they don’t like change but change is needed in the midst of the current housing and segregation crisis. The ‘Better Living Model’ is exactly what the city needs. It brings together families with different incomes in a well-designed dense development,” Rossouw said.
Physical construction is set to start toward the end of 2019.
