R800 million project to revamp Centurion CBD might be wrong for future

The proposed R800 million project to revamp the Centurion CBD might be wrong for the future because it doesn’t speak to the needs in the suburb.

This was the sentiment expressed by a representative of a private stakeholder during a public participation meeting at the Centurion council chamber hosted by the City of Tshwane on Saturday. The purpose of the meeting was to solicit public views on the proposed CBD precinct plan conceptualised to turn it into a modern 24-hour city as part of its Spatial Development Framework.

A private stakeholder representative, who didn’t want to be identified, told the Pretoria News that the municipality had in the past implemented projects which didn’t address community needs. He expressed fears that the proposed multimillion-rand project might not be beneficial to residents and businesses in the area.

Tshwane finance MMC Peter Sutton, who was part of the meeting, said the view that the plan might be wrong for the future was welcomed. He appreciated the inputs and objections made by the private stakeholder and asked that it be put in writing for the city to look at it and consider it.

He said the meeting was about the Centurion precinct plan and not necessarily inner-city development. The council was in the process of considering a report about the R800m CBD project. Sutton said once that report had been approved it would go out for public participation. “But that R800m project fits into the precinct plan of what the Centurion CBD will look like in future. This is an opportunity for the public to give inputs and objections.”

The public participation process for the precinct plan would be open until September 9 “and the report specifically on the R800m will go on public participation in the near future once council has approved it”. The meeting was poorly attended, but Sutton was hopeful that councillors would make efforts in the next two weeks to inform people about the precinct plan. “It is very important for people to take part in it. If you have a property in the Centurion, especially close to the CBD area, it might affect you and your property value in the future. It might have a negative impact on property value.”

City official Tebello Ramorapeli, who made a presentation about the precinct plan, said the CBD should be retained, intensified and upgraded with the Centurion Lake as a focus point and attraction. According to the plan, the lake near Centurion hotel has the potential to be rehabilitated and redesigned to be revived as a regionally known landmark. “The Gautrain station is a relatively new addition to the precinct that provides regional public transport access and potentially extra ‘feet’ to support businesses in the precinct,” according to the plan.

It was said that the CBD was facing a significant increase in development pressures and interest as a result of its locational advantages within the Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni economic conurbation. The City has identified the need for a precinct plan to guide future development and investment by recommending projects and partnerships to ensure the successful implementation of projects.