The new R500 million Mitchells Plain Hospital was built without the required zoning and building approvals.
|||Cape Town - The new R500-million Mitchells Plain Hospital was built without the required zoning and building approvals - and now the City of Cape Town’s planning portfolio committee wants to know how the provincial government managed it.
Councillor Brian Watkyns, of the city’s spatial planning, environment and land-use management committee, said the city should have declared a dispute with the provincial government.
Two issues have been flagged: the province’s failure to apply for the rezoning of the property, and not submitting building plans.
Garreth Bloor, mayoral committee member for economic, environmental and spatial planning, confirmed that the city had received an application to change the zoning of erf 21763 from rural to amenities and that it was being processed.
But construction started in 2010, and the doors opened in June.
Bloor said in terms of the National Building Regulations, government departments were only required to submit courtesy plans to the relevant authority. These did not have to be approved before construction.
He dismissed the concerns raised during the planning meeting, saying: “I note that the discussion on this matter arose as part of the outstanding items list. It needs to be noted that some incorrect statements were made during the deliberations by the committee.”
The report in question noted that a number of conditions set out in the application for rezoning “were not capable of performance in view of the fact that the hospital had already being built”.
Fiona Ogle, city head of legislation and enforcement, said the matter had been raised with the relevant provincial authorities who conceded things were done in an “unauthorised manner”.
However, Bloor said: “When and where there is a need to discuss compliance aspects the authorities use the inter-governmental relations route. Thus far, there has not been a need for this.”
anel.lewis@inl.co.za
Cape Times