Residents protest proposed Plettenberg Bay development

Residents protest proposed Plettenberg Bay development.  The protest was organised by the Plettenberg Bay Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association and the Community Environment Forum, amongst other parties, which involved protestors forming a giant “NO!” sign by arranging themselves along the beachfront (pictured above).

The Residents’ Association has also circulated a petition protesting the Plettenberg Bay Harbour, which they claim has garnered thousands of signatures so far and is due to be submitted to the relevant authorities shortly.

Recently, an independent environmental scoping report recommended that the development receive planning approval, stating that its potential benefits to the area would comfortably exceed its disadvantages. These included the potential to lure additional tourists to the town and short/long-term job creation.

Plettenberg Bay currently struggles during the winter months, with many businesses relying on summer visitors to keep them afloat throughout the down-period. Western Cape Marina Investments – the developers behind the Plettenberg Bay Harbour project – has argued that a world-class waterfront has the potential to change this.

The project would consist of a number of elements in a mixed-use scheme, including mansions, apartment blocks, office space, a 100-key 5-star hotel, retail facilities, a public plaza, yacht club and over 2 000 parking bays. It would significantly alter the holiday town’s landscape, which residents claim would destroy the area’s only safe swimming beach.

According to the environmental consultants who conducted the environmental impact assessment, the developers are now looking at ways of mitigating residents’ concerns in an effort to gain community support for the project.