Old Wynberg Village: Heritage Considerations.
There are three primary levels or tiers of heritage regulation that apply in the Wynberg Village area. All properties in the Village fall into at least one tier, while others trigger all three.
2.1. FIRST TIER – HERITAGE OVERLAY ZONE
Much of Old Wynberg Village falls within a Heritage Overlay Zone, which requires that work on any existing structures and the construction of new structures in the Village needs to conform to guidelines that look to preserve the unique historic character of the area. This is a requirement of the Cape Town Integrated Zoning Scheme, and special permission for any work in the Village will need to be obtained from South Peninsula Municipality’s Heritage Section. The exact extent of the Heritage Overlay Zone can be determined by referring to the following map.
For landowners contemplating work on their buildings, John Rennie and Pat Riley developed useful Guidelines for Conservation and Development for the area in 1987, and they are still relevant and should be consulted and adhered to. The OWVS has a copy of this document on record.
2.2 SECOND TIER – BUILDINGS OLDER THAN 60 YEARS
Old Wynberg Village has some of the oldest building fabric in the Southern Suburbs, and many structures date from the early to mid 1800s. The National Heritage Resources Act (1999) requires that a special permit be attained from the Provincial Heritage Authority, Heritage Western Cape, before any alterations or demolitions are undertaken to any structure or building fabric older than 60 years. Please see Heritage Western Cape’s website for more information (http://www.westerncape.gov.za/eng/directories/public_entities/1063/72512) or visit their front desk between 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock weekdays, on the third floor of the Protea Assurance Building in Greenmarket Square.
2.3 THIRD TIER – BUILDINGS THAT ARE FORMER NATIONAL MONUMENTS/ PROVINCIAL HERITAGE SITES
During the 1980’s, many of the buildings in Wynberg Village were declared as national monuments. These buildings are now listed as Provincial Heritage Sites in terms of the National Heritage Resources Act (1999). For a list of these buildings, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heritage_sites_in_Wynberg,_Cape_Town.
In terms of the National Heritage Resources Act (1999), no person may destroy, damage, deface, excavate, alter, remove from its original position, subdivide or change the planning status of any Provincial Heritage Site in the Village without first attaining a permit from Heritage Western Cape. Please see Heritage Western Cape’s website (http://www.westerncape.gov.za/eng/directories/public_entities/1063/72512) or visit their front desk between 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock weekdays, on the third floor of the Protea Assurance Building in Greenmarket Square for more information.
2.4 OTHER HERITAGE CONSIDERATIONS
Although many properties in the Village are small and the property boundaries well defined, it should be noted that, under Section 38 of the National Heritage Resources Act (1999) certain scenarios trigger a requirement to submit a Notification of Intent to Develop to Heritage Western Cape, after which they may call for a Heritage Impact Assessment to be undertaken if they are of the opinion that heritage resources will be impacted by the proposed activity.
Among the potential triggers, are:
“Any development or other activity which will change the character of a site:
exceeding 5000m2 in extent; or
involving three or more existing erven or subdivisions thereof; or
involving three or more erven or divisions thereof which have been consolidated within the past five years.”
Please refer to Heritage Western Cape’s website (http://www.westerncape.gov.za/eng/directories/public_entities/1063/72512) or visit their front desk between 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock weekdays, on the third floor of the Protea Assurance Building in Greenmarket Square to ascertain if your proposed development triggers any part of Section 38 of the Act.
All Heritage queries for Chelsea Village Wynberg can be forwarded to Heritage architect Claire Abrahamse
Tel 021 426 2613 or 0837181919
email : claire@claireabrahamse.co.za
Zoning
1.1 Zoning Map: To find the zoning of properties in Chelsea Village see link attached
http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/Planningportal/Documents/CTZS_Regulations_Nov_2012.pdf
1.2. Zoning Scheme Regulations. The development parameters for zonings in Chelsea Village are attached, see link attached. See tables attached for development rules and development rights within the different zones.
1.3. Change in zoning of properties: Should you wish to change the zoning of the property or deviate from the development rules of a zone, a statutory application needs to be made to the City of Cape Town. This involves a comprehensive technical evaluation and public participation process. It is advised that the OWVS be consulted should any of the above applications be made to the City of Cape Town.
1.4. Title deeds and erf diagrams: Any new land use applications would need to take into account the conditions in the title deed and any encumbrances on the erf diagrams that may or may not hinder future development of the site
1.5. Heritage Overlay zone: It should be noted that in addition to the abovementioned zones in paragraph 1.1, the whole of Chelsea Village is a Heritage Overlay Zone. Any new building work in a Heritage Overlay Zone will require the consent of the City of Cape Town.
For interest and additional information on heritage considerations click here to view “Guidelines for Conservation and Development” which was a book written in 1987 by heritage architects John Rennie and Pat Riley for the City of Cape Town Planners Department on the Old Wynberg Village area.
Also for interest click here for a manual written in 1994 by the National Monuments Council (forerunner to the current National Heritage Council) on the General Guidelines for Urban Conservation Areas.