Bergvliet residents voice concerns about new school plans

Bergvliet residents are raising concerns over proposed plans to develop a new school in their community.

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has made plans for a new school, Tokai High School, that would be located on Ruskin Road, Bergvliet, on over 3,8 hectares of land owned by the provincial government.

The WCED, said the proposed plan for the school is estimated to cost more than R125 million, and will be able to accommodate more than 1 100 pupils, have around 30 classrooms,  a sports field, and a school hall. According to the planning document, this project is part of the WCED’s rapid school project.

Bergvliet resident Ingrid van den Berg said the community did not receive prior notification regarding these plans.

“Indeed, we have subsequently heard that the project has already gone out to tender, this having happened before residents had even got word of the plans,” she said. 

Ms van den Berg agreed that there is a shortage of schools in the southern suburbs, but said: “While the initiative is, in and of itself, admirable, it makes little sense at the proposed location.” 

Ms van den Berg said if the school goes ahead, the community would face disadvantages like increased traffic, environmental changes, change of character, strain on infrastructure, property valuations, and many more. 

Another Bergvliet resident, Rob Muller, agrees that there would be a dramatic increase in traffic that a new school would inevitably bring to what is currently a quiet, middle- to upper-middle-class family-oriented neighbourhood.

“Our suburban roads are narrow and were never designed to accommodate such high volumes of traffic,” he said. 

Bergvliet resident Derek Lloyd said he is aware that the land is zoned for school, though he doesn’t understand how this land on the corner of Ruskin Road and Aristea Road could be zoned for schooling, considering that it is on the edge of Bergvliet.

“There is not much road access here; the three or four roads that access the community are congested most of the time," he said.

He expressed disappointment that there was no communication shared about this proposed development by the political leaders and officials.

WCED spokesperson, Bronagh Hammond, said high schools in the area receive more than 2 200 applications for just over 200 spaces each year.

“The demand for access to high schools in the area is high. The new high school is to serve the needs of the community and learners from neighbouring primary schools,” she said.

Ms Hammond said the WCED is still to determine the fee structure of the school. 

When asked by the Bulletin why the WCED did not have a public participation drive, Ms Hammond said public participation is not required when a development conforms to the development rights of a property.

“The property in question is zoned appropriately for the development of a school,” she said.

She said the WCED has existing development rights for the property in terms of the City of Cape Town Municipal Planning By-Laws, which govern land usage in the municipality.

She said the WCED is doing a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), which requires public consultation, adding that the HIA is done on the heritage application and not the feasibility of the school. 

Bergvliet Voluntary Association (BVA) representative Ian Fairley said that BVA is reviewing the HIA related to the proposed development.

“We are committed to ensuring that all heritage and community impacts are fully assessed before any decisions are made,” he said.

Mr Fairley said that as the statutory process is still underway and formal submissions are yet to be made to Heritage Western Cape, they are not in a position to provide detailed comment or express a substantive position at this time.

The BVA is circulating a notification to the community giving them more details about plans for a proposed school in the community, and they urge the community to get involved by emailing BergvlietVA@gmail.com. The BVA also retained the services of a legal firm that is reviewing the application. 

With regards to the traffic concerns raised, Ms Hammond said the impact that the proposed school will have on traffic will be considered in the planning of the project.

“A traffic impact assessment has been completed, and any conditions imposed by the relevant authorities will be implemented and strictly adhered to,” she said.

The City’s mayoral committee member for urban mobility, Rob Quintas, said the traffic impact assessment was submitted together with the building plan.

“However, the application is still awaiting final land use management submission clearance for compliance with the Municipal Planning Bylaw. Only once this clearance has been obtained will we be in a position to assess the report and provide our final comment,” he said.

Many residents have raised concerns with Ward 73 councillor Eddie Andrews and claimed that he did not give a clear response.

Mr Andrews said that he understands that education infrastructure is an important priority for the communities.

“At the same time, I also recognise that any development must consider the character of the neighbourhood and the legitimate concerns of residents. My role is to balance these perspectives, ensure due process is followed, and make sure that community voices are properly recorded and relayed,” he said.

Mr Andrews says he does take communication seriously, though he acknowledges his office receives large volumes of correspondence daily, which leads to delays in response.

“I remain open and committed to engaging on this matter and will gladly make myself available for further discussions once bilateral meetings with the WCED have been finalised,” he said.

Interested and affected parties have until Wednesday, October 1, to comment on the HIA report. They can email Sarah Winter at sewinter@yebo.co.za