APPLICATION IN TERMS OF SECTION 21 OF THE JOHANNESBURG MUNICIPAL PLANNING BYLAW FOR THE REZONING OF ERF 458, MELVILLE, FROM RESIDENTIAL 1 TO RESIDENTIAL 3
Dear Melville residents, businesses, and interested parties,
There is an application for rezoning at 6 5th Ave Melville (erf 458). The property is between Main Road and 3rd Street, 3rd property from Main Road on the same side as the old Melville Hotel (Roxy’s). The image below shows the proposed plans; however, the application goes beyond the below, asking for up to four storeys and 48 bedrooms in the place of a single-storey house.
You can download a full set of the plans by clicking here – Rezoning_Melville_458_Site_Plan
Should you wish to object to this application the below template can be used. You can choose which objections to raise while putting into your own words and using your own experience, please. If the objections look too similar, they are seen as a single petition, not multiple objections. There are multiple objection points that you can pick from with objection templates available below. Each member of your household can object, also, you do not have to be a direct resident as family, friends, and visitors to the neighbourhood may object too.
NB! Please include a valid email address or contact number for your submission to be valid, as you will have to be notified of the tribunal hearing!
OBJECTIONS MUST BE EMAILED DIRECTLY TO objectionsplanning@joburg.org.za
PLEASE COPY mra-landuse@ilovemelville.co.za and musa@jmmakamutrp.co.za
You can also drop a hard copy off at PostNet on 1st Avenue, please notify the MRA Land Use Portfolio (mra-landuse@ilovemelville.co.za) so that we can go pick it up.
OBJECTION DEADLINE MAY 18 2022
Reasons for objection:
1. The site falls outside all the designated zones for densification, mixed-use, increased height, and in the Corridors of Freedom consolidated framework proposals. The surrounding houses and street is residential, made up largely of single-family homes. This is a major intrusion into the suburb and doesn’t fit with the city’s plans for growth in the neighbourhood. It will impact on and be disruptive to residential neighbours who have single storey homes.
2. There were extensive public participation meetings to consult residents on a Melville Precinct Plan. This plan limited densification to high streets and main transport routes. This application does not conform to what was discussed in these meetings.
3. The scattered/distributed nature of communes and student accommodation undermines the fabric and property of permanent, family homes in the suburb because it replaces such homes with transient residents and absentee landlords with little or no financial or social stake in the suburb.
4. The neighbouring properties to the south, east, and north are all Residential 1 properties. They are single-storey, family dwellings and are part of the core residential suburb of Melville. There are no Residential 3 properties anywhere near this property, so this land use is not in keeping with the immediate area [PLEASE SPECIFICALLY INCLUDE IF YOU ARE ONE OF THESE PROPERTIES]
5. The application for 48 rooms is excessive and inappropriate for this location. The stand is too small, the location too far from university campuses to walk safely in my opinion, and would seriously impact family homes around it.
6. Fifth Ave narrows into a one-way entry onto Main Road in front of the property and such increased densification would cause serious traffic implications due to this bottleneck.
7. There are not enough parking bays shown on the plans for the property in relation to the number of bedrooms. This would cause cars to park even deeper into the suburb, on pavements, and block a road that is already narrow to restrict traffic.
8. The applicant argues in Section 8 that because the Residential zoning is retained and only student accommodation added, the property could revert to a dwelling house, should the student accommodation cease to exist. This is misleading and incorrect. The intention is to demolish the house and it has to be demolished to exercise the excessive rights applied for.
9. The applicant argues that the “scale of the student accommodation is small and therefore compatible with the surrounding land use character”. This is incorrect and misleading. A Residential 1 house on average has 3 to 4 bedrooms plus a cottage and this application is for 48 rooms on a similar-sized plot. This is not compatible with the surrounding land uses and is clearly excessive in scale and impact.
10. The property is currently being run as an illegal commune, with several complaints made to the Melville Sector Crime Forum over the years for noise nuisance, and illegal land use among other issues. Hence the nuisance caused by a small commune will be at least 4-fold if 48 students inhabit this plot.
11. There is no other development of this nature in Melville and to approve such an intense land use on an erf that is not on a main road, not close to a BRT station, and not close to the University, will set a very negative precedent in the suburb.
12. Melville holds significant heritage value. Demolishing old houses, altering them for student housing, or introducing 4 storey buildings will destroy that heritage.
13. There are multiple, already rezoned and better-positioned properties in the area that would be better suited to this development and which require investment, rather than this site on a residential street.
14. The additional number of persons would significantly impact the already overburdened infrastructure of Melville, where water shortages and extended electricity outages are common due to aging infrastructure. It is estimated that at least 9 bathrooms and kitchens will be added compared to one or two on an existing residential plot.
15. Even with a demand for student accommodation, these students deserve quality accommodation. There is extremely limited but required green space shown in the plans or recreational space for actual quality of life. The application does not meet the requirements for open space provision in the Nodal Review Policy and Scheme.
16. Students pose a target for crime as they move around on foot with valuable items like laptops, cellphones, and cash. There is a serious safety, policing, and crime rate implications of up to 48 students being placed on one property in the suburb.
17. High-density communes pose a significant fire risk and stretch the capacity of an already strained fire brigade and police service. The plan shows no external or alternative staircases/fire escapes
18. There are already reported issues with infrastructure in this street as sewage and refuse are affected by overcrowding and illegal communes causing health risks.
19. There has been no notice placed on the property or sent to direct neighbours as required. I have not seen or been informed of any application other than through my residence association/community groups. The applicant is required by law to place a notice and send registered letters to all neighbours.
20. The applicant is applying for planning rights that are more than the City’s policies and regulations permit and no motivation is provided for any deviation from the regulated, applicable standards.
21. Residents’ rights to a stable, quiet neighbourhood should be respected and protected by the City. The residential amenity will be negatively affected, for the following reasons:
21.1 increased traffic;
21.2 increased noise;
21.3 parking in the street, which inevitably attracts criminals, car guards, and beggars;
21.4 increased refuse.
Objection Templates:
- Objection Template 1 (Word Version) | (pdf version)
- Objection Template 2 (Word Version) | (pdf version)
- Objection Template 3 (Word Version) | (pdf version)
- Objection Template 4 (word version) | (pdf version)
For the word versions, right-click and save to your local device if it doesn’t open up just by clicking on it
If you are unable to download the above Word & PDF versions you can copy/paste one of the following into a document
TEMPLATE 1
OBJECTION
APPLICATION IN TERMS OF SECTION 21 OF THE JOHANNESBURG MUNICIPAL PLANNING BYLAW FOR THE REZONING OF ERF 458, MELVILLE, FROM RESIDENTIAL 1 TO RESIDENTIAL 3
I hereby object to the above application. The grounds of objection are the following:
- ……..
- ……..
Name:
Address:
Tel:
Email:
TEMPLATE 2
OBJECTION: Application for rezoning: erf 458 Melville to Residential 3
I hereby note my objection the above application.
- …..
- ……
Name:
Address:
Email / cell number:
TEMPLATE 3
OBJECTION
Application for rezoning erf 458 Melville
I object to the rezoning of Erf 458 Melville.
I am a resident of Melville and I think the addition of such a big student housing complex in this purely residential area, will cause significant problems and will no doubt set a precedent for other opportunistic business owners and developers…..
Etc etc etc
Name
I.D number
Contact details
Address
TEMPLATE 4
OBJECTION
Application in terms of Section 21 of the Johannesburg municipal planning bylaw for the rezoning of erf 458, Melville, from Residential 1 to Residential 3
I vehemently object to the above application. The property….
…….
…….
The tribunal must dismiss the application.
Name:
Address:
Email:
Tel:
