ME ON A MISSION AGAIN.... BEEN SO PREOCCUPIED AND BUSY BUT YES BEEN KEEPING THE " LOOSE " EYE ON GOINGS ON AND ASKING QUESTIONS EVERY SO NOW AND AGAIN ... PART OF MY HARD WORK PUSHING BUTONS HAS BEEN THE HEALING OF THE OLD PROPERTY NO 51 ROODEBLOEM RD ... ( WILL POST BEFORE AND AFTER PICS ) BUT REALLY I HAVE AN AWFUL GUT FEELING ABOUT THESE OWNERS OF THIS PROPERTY ,,, ... HAVE SENT LETTERS TO THE MAYOR AND HELLEN ZILLE , PLUS THE MEDIA ... HOPE I TOO DONT GET SUED BY THIS ARROGANT BUNCH .. . AND YES ITS HAPPENED BEFORE ,, " RENOVATIONS " AND SUDDENLY SOMETHING GOES WRONG AND ANOTHER HISTORICAL BUIDLING FALLS TO THE GROUND AND ANOTHER VULGAR DISPLAY OF " WEALTH AND ARROGANCE " CAN GO UP
SIS ........ ATTACHED LETTER
Sandy is this the old building, I remember it being a manor type house, that was a dairy farm back in about 1940. The one I'm thinking of is on your right to-wards the mountain in University Estate.Does Roedebloem road continue on the other side of the Eastern Boulevard? I don't remember.
You got it Diana ,,, before it was sold to Oasis it belonged to the Beyer family ... awaiting some reaction ... so far nothing ...
Hi Sandy,
My recall of Woodstock and environs before the Eastern Boulevard was built is vague at best. But I would like to see those pics.
Regards,
Bob.
As a child I was always fasinated by this beautifull house. I remember my Ouma and I would wait for the Walmer Estate Bus at the bus stop just outside the grounds and I would imagine being a Princess and living there. Please post a photo or two of before and after if you can.
xxx
Currently I avoid looking at it ..to me its a goner ...and yes too late ,
with their arrogance and buckets of money seems were determined to let nothing stand in their way ...
I have been reminded to heed my conscience , upbringing and background ... when I posted some words on this topic ( that yes the good angel on the one shoulder said " dont " ) I persisted .. to say that I was doing so out of anger and frustration at how corruption seems to win so many times over sounds a fine excuse but actually not , especially when one is aware of ones actions .. so I have cleaned up this topic and offer apology ....
NO COMMENT ?? .
ON THIS SUBJECT ,,, ANOTHER TRAVESTY AMONG MANY THAT SEEM TO GO ON ... A BEAUTIFUL NICELY PROPORTIONED DECO BUILDING THAT BELONGED TO A TRUST OF WHOSE ORIGINS I SHALL NOT GO INTO ,, OWNED AND USED THE BUILDING AND THEN SUDDENLY SOMEHOW MANAGED TO GET DEPARTURES FROM THE RULING THAT ANY BUILDING OVER 50 YEARS OLD IS SUBJECT TO HERITAGE PROTECTION .. WELL IT SEEMED AGAIN BAGS OF MONEY AND CONTACTS SOMEHOW ALLOWED THE BUILDING TO BE DEMOLISHED AS THE OWNERS HAD GRAND PLANS OF BUILDING A HUGE BLOCK OF FLATS ,, ON THE PREMISE THAT THERE WAS A BLOCK OF FLATS NEXT DOOR .. WELL DESPITE MUCH PROTEST THE LOVELY BUIILDING DEMOLISHED , SEEMS ENOUGH NOISE CREATED ALBEIT TOO LATE OR NOTICED TOO LATE AND IT SEEMS TO BE IN STASIS FOR THE LAST YEAR AND A BIT ... ALL THAT REMAINS IS A HOLE AND PORTIONS OF THE OUTBUIDLINGS NOW OCCUPIED BY VAGRANTS , AND SEEMINGLY ABANDONED BY THE OWNERS WITH GRAND PLANS ... SO YES I DO GET PEED OFF ... SEE PICS ...
That piece of land might be worth a fair piece of dosh by now.....
Who are the owners then?
A ' TRUST ' I MAY NOT NAME ...
SUCCESS STORY AS PROMISED I ENCLOSE PICS OF THE HEALING OF # 51 AND ENCLOSE WHAT REMAINS OF MY CORRESPONDENCE DEALING WITH BEAUROCRATS .. ITS NOT THE FULL ESSENCE OF IT ( CANT FIND THE REST OF MY TRAMPING ON TOES BY MAKING COMMENTS NOT NICE ) THEY HOWEVER APART FROM MY POSTER CAMPAIGN AND RATHER DOWN TO EARTH TRUTHFUL COMMENT AT SITE MEETINGS SUDDENLY GALVANISED 2 + YEARS OF INACTION INTO ACTION ... THE " OWNERS TAKEN TO TASK , THE BUILDING SOLD TO A CARING WITH BUCKETS OF MONEY PERSON WHO HAS RESTORED THE BUILDING .... ALL FLOORS WINDOWS AND STAIRCASES REPLACED WITH AS CLOSE AS PRACTICALLY POSSIBLE TO ORIGINAL ,, i DONT LIKE THE STARK WHITE .. BUT ITS MERELY A PAINT JOB ... FIRST ATTACHMENT IS THE LETTER WITH THE DERELICT PICS AND REMNANTS OF MAILS .. NEXT IS PICS OF FINISHED PRODUCT ... SADLY SO I DRIVE PAST THE OTHER BUILDING EACH DAY AND SEE IT BEING WHITTLED AWAY ... NOT TO THE ORIGINAL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WAS TO HAPPEN VIS RESTORED .. .. BUT YES I GOT RESPONSE FROM CITY ADMINISTRATION , ITS BEING INVESTIGATED , AND NOW EVEN GOT SOMEBODY FROM PARLIAMENT TRING TO CONTACT ME ( SILLY PALUKKA WONT LEAVE A MESSAGE ) MM MAYBE I'M GOING TO BE SUED ... HA HA ...
DONT FORGET TO DOWNLOAD THE DOC ,,,, OR ELSE YOU LOSE THE THREAD ....
good news I got a phone call from a councillors pa ... they definitely thik its worth looking into cos unless a building of historical significance is a wreck it should be left as intact as possible .. problem is time for a site visit , I explained that time is of the essence ,, they must show the pictures to the heritage folk ... and move fast ... hope somethings moving although I feel a bit too late ,,, at least they will be brougth to task and stopped till they take remedial action ...
THE OLD ROODEBLOEM MANOR HOUSE SAGA GETS WORSE ,, I ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE 15TH SEE THE PICTURES ATTACHED .... IN THE NEXT POST THE NOW RESULT
SEE THEY HAVE NOW DEMOLISHED THE ENTIRE REAR AND SIDE ..... FURTHER PICS THEY HAVE PILED UP CONTAINERS IN THE FRONT ,, IS THIS A WAY TO TRY HIDE THEIR ACTIVITIES ???? TO MY BEST KNOWLEDGE ANY HERITAGE BUILDING THAT IS IN A HABITABLE STATE WHICH THIS ONE WAS UNTIL THEY STARTED RIPPING IT APART HAS TO BE KEPT IN AS CLOSE AS ITS ORIGINAL STATE ..... I DONT SEE THIS IN HAPPENING HERE ... THE ONLY TIME A DEPARTURE IS ALLOWED IF IT IS IN AN UNSTABLE / DANGEROUS CONDITION ... THE FEEDBACK I GOT FROM THE WALMER ESTATE ASSOCIATION CHAIRMAN LAST YEAR THAT WAS THE BUILDING WAS GOING TO BE RENOVATED BY THE OWNERS AND THE MONSROSITY ONLY ALLOWED AT THE REAR ... I AM SENDING ANOTHER URGENT LETTER TO THE MAYOR AND PREMIER TELLING THAT IF THEY HAVE DEPARTED OR IF THERE HAVE BEEN UNDERHAND DEALINGS THEY ARE TO BE STOPPED AND MADE TO RETURN TO ORIGINAL ,, WISHING IT WAS / IS SO ....
FOLLOW THIS LINK AND READ .. THIS IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE DONE , A COMPANY THAT BOUGHT THE OLD DAIRY FARM THAT THEN BECAME THE LORD MILNER HOTEL ... THEY HAVE KEPT IT VIRUALLY INTACT AND LOVINGLY RESORED IT ,, INTERIOR VIRTUALLY UNSCATHED ...
http://www.thepropertymag.co.za/pages/452774491/articles/2008/September/news/Woodstocks-historical-buildings-adapt-with-the-times.asp
I'm gobsmacked....there's virtualy nothing left. There in the 2nd last pic where the blue and white cars are parked on the right was my bus stop. I have many happy childhood memories of this area. Thanx for the photo's and you continued updates Sandy. XX
this is the letter I sent to the mayor and the premiers offices ... so far no decent response ... gather maybe I'm just a shytstirrer ... well i sen again tonight and demand a decent response and apology ...
UPDATE ,,,,, WELL THE SO BUSY COUNCILLOR WHO CONTACTED ME IS SO BUSY THAT SHE CANNOT TAKE A 5KM DRIVE FROM CITY CENTER TO WOODSTOCK .. METHINKS THEY KNOW A TRAVESTY HAS OCCURED AND DONT QUITE KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT ,, OR ANSWER QUESTIONS ... A PALM OR TWO HAS BEEN GREASED TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN COS THE HERITAGE AND MONUMOENTS SOCIETY WHO SADLY SO DONT HAVE LEGAL CLOUT CONTACTED ME IN RESPONSE TO A COPY I SENT TO THEM AND SAID THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT THE ACCEPTED NORM ...
ANYHOW I HAVE ANSWERED THE COUNCILLOR AND TOLD HER TO READJUST HER DIARY AND NOT ASK ME TO CONTACT PEOPLE WHO DEAL WITH HERITAGE IN THE COUNCIL ITS HER JOB TO DO SO SEEING THAT SHE HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THINGS DONT LOOK RIGHT ... ANOTHE EMAIL BOMB GOES DOWN TONIGHT ... Birdie
HERE ATTACHED A COPY PASTED DOC WITH THE LATEST CORRESPONDENCE AND MY REPLY ...... NO WONDER WE GET PEED OFF ......... I AM INACCEPTANCE THATS ITS AN OVER AND DONE DEAL , MY REGRET IS I SHOULD HAVE ACTED A LOT EARLIER , VIS WHEN THE REAR WING WAS ALREADY DEMOLISHED ,,,,,,, BUT THEN WE LEARN HEY ???
TODAY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE DAY OF SITE MEETING ... I WILL IN THE MORNING BE RATTLING CAGES AGAIN ... WAIT AND SEE,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Sandy, one Friday night.... knock back a bottle of the magic water..... then go to the new building and torch it.......
Mmmmh! Actually give me a buzz! I will come down and bring the marshmallows.... swink
My request in the light of a meeting supposed to have happened on the 18th ... If one reads their responses , so tied up in beaurocracy etc ... below read ...
PS Mike .. its a concrete mass not much use trying to burn it ...
RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
From: Alex Alexander (alexalexander3@hotmail.com)
Sent: 23 March 2010 07:51:57 PM
To: marian.nieuwoudt@capetown.gov.za; mayor@capetown.gov.za; leader@da.org.za
1 attachment
image002.gif (0.1 KB)
Good evening Marian ,
I would gather in the absence of further feedback that the site meeting did indeed occur on the 18th . I anxiously await feedback and especially answers from the City of Cape Town administration as to how such a travesty could occur .. I still find myself in a state of total disbelief that such a demolition of a perfectly habitable historical building could be allowed , I am at the point of actually having the personal opinion that maybe some palms were greased and that now the City administration upon investigation finds itself in an indeed embarrassing situation as to how this ever happened ... What should actually have transpired is that the City should have told Oasis that if they wanted build some huge monstrosity and in the process demolish a perfectly habitable historical buidling to take there plans elsewhere to an open piece of land and do so with the utmost pleasure ...
I remain very resolute and would appreciate total transparency on this matter to the point of access to the process of how this actually transpired ... sad fact is I have tried to engage the press on this matter on numerous occasions but they seem to have other issues on their agenda , but yes continue to engage them to put it in the eye of the newsreader , and yes to draw the public to moving away from apathy and more action ...
Regards ,,
Alexander Buchanan
PS I DO HOPE THAT MS ZILLES MAIL IS STILL OT BEING FILTERED AND THIS INDEED GETS TO HER DESK .............
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Marian.Nieuwoudt@capetown.gov.za
To: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
CC: Lucinda.Carstens@capetown.gov.za
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 14:01:02 +0200
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Good Morning
I hereby confirm that Des van Brackel has contacted you on 2 previous occasions and has given you details on how Councillor would deal with this matter.
Des has set up a meeting on the 11th of March with Staff members from Planning, Building office and Heritage office as well as with the Consulting Engineers to discuss the development.
She has also set up a meeting with the Ward Councillor to discuss the development on the 11th of March.
The inspection of the property will take place on the 18th of March and the owner/developer and her staff will be accompanying her.
It is not possible for her to do an inspection without prior knowledge of this application and discussion with the Consulting Engineers.
The owner/developer will only be available for such an inspection on the 18th of March.
The City is dealing with between 50 000 and 60 000 building plans per year and between 10 000 and 12 000 land use applications per year. It is imposibble to know the detail of each application therefore the procedure followed is necessary.
Regards
Jackie Wilbers
Director: Planning & Environment: Oostenberg
On behalf of Councillor Marian Nieuwoudt
Mayco Member: Planning & Environment
Tel: 021 4005023
fax: 021 4001296
6th Floor, Podium,Civic Centre
12 Hertzog Boulevard
Private Bag X9181
Cape Town 8000
E-mail address: Jackie.Wilbers@capetown.gov
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Alex Alexander [mailto:alexalexander3@hotmail.com]
Sent: 08 March 2010 08:58 PM
To: Marian Nieuwoudt; Mayor; leader@da.org.za
Subject: FW: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
GOOD EVENING ALL ,
I STILL AWAIT SOME FORM OF RESPONSE AND ACTION HERE , SURELY THINGS DONT MOVE SO SLOWLY IN THIS FAIR CITY ???
REGARDS ,,,
ALEXANDER BUCHANAN
RE: OASIS PROPERTY WOODSTOCK
From:
Laura Robinson (ctht@heritage.org.za)
Sent:
07 March 2010 07:39:24 PM
To:
'Alex Alexander' (alexalexander3@hotmail.com)
Cc:
'Cornelius Johan' (johan.cornelius@capetown.gov.za)
Dear Alexander
I know this property quite well as it is a landmark in the area, and am aware that plans have been developed for it to house offices over a period of years.
I am forwarding this on to my colleagues at the City of Cape Town Heritage Resources section as the Trust is not an approval authority. I am also not up to date on the status of their planning approval, however I think it unlikely that approval would have been given for the amount of demolition that appears to have occurred.
Yours faithfully
Laura Robinson
GOOD NEWS MY HECKLING AND PUSHING SEEMS TO BE DOING SOMETHING ... LYNETTE JOHNS SENIOR WRITER FOR ARGUS CONTACTED ME TODAY .. THEY WANT TO DO A FULL STORY ON THIS ONE .. IT APPEARS THE OWNERS OF THE BUILDING HAVE A HISTORY OF ARROGANTLY FLOUTING BUILDING REGULATIONS AND TOTALLY DISREGARDING NEIGHBOURS ETC ETC ... GOING TO BE INTERESTING .. I HAVE ASKED WHERE POSSIBLE MY NAME BE KEPT OUT OF IT ... INSTEAD REFER TO A CONCERNED TROUBLESOME CITIZEN .. I HAVE FORWARDED ALL THE CORESPONDENCE WITH CITY OF CAPE TOWN TO HER TO GET HER UP TO SPEED WITH THE STONEWALLING I BEEN GETTING .........
I may not always answer but keep posting Sandy I am reading this. :emot112_2:
Got this response from Ms Zilles office today .. note I reminded them of my support and expectations and that the leader of DA although not expected to micromanage needs to be kept up to date of things going wrong as well .. waiting for the Argus to see what they put out ... again sadly so its too late ,, but yes the message that can go out is to prevent such happenings again ... similar to the victory of sea point association preventing a huge hotel being built where the pavillion rsetaurant was ,, the plans were " passed' obviously by greasing of palms and have now been rescinded ... the stuffed ,, grand plans all to naught ...
below ... read ......
Subject: FW: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:05:37 +0200
From: leader@da.org.za
To: Lucinda.Carstens@capetown.gov.za
CC: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
Dear Ms Carstens
Please could you advise whether any progress has been made herein?
Please cc leader@da.org.za into your response, so that we can be sure that all voters are receiving the high standard of service they should expect from the DA.
Kind regards
Gairoensa Sonnenberg
Democratic Alliance National Leader's Office
Parliament of South Africa
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Alex Alexander [mailto:alexalexander3@hotmail.com]
Sent: 13 March 2010 11:49 PM
To: Leader
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Dear Gaironesa ,
thank you for the reply , I am sure you may remember me me from previous correspondence in respect of property issues and also support for Ms Zille ( check your files ) .... I however feel that in the picture of the big scheme and filtering of so called or deemed not necessary issues in Ms Zilles busy schedule , there are at times certain things that should be brought to Ms Zilles attention ... as it falls under her total reign of power and my feeling is the towers of civic center are still suffering and trying to undo damage of previous undoings of previous mismanagement and still have hangovers of it ... trust me they take time to root out ... In the light of what I have said , have you indeed taken the bother to at least forward my concerns to Ms Zille ...??? the stock standard response that you have given does not do anything for my feeling of confidence in the DA leadership ....
Regards ... Alexander ...........
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:48:37 +0200
From: leader@da.org.za
To: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
CC: Lucinda.Carstens@capetown.gov.za
Dear Alex
Thank you for your e-mails addressed to Helen Zille.
This is a matter for the City of Cape Town Administration. As such, we have notice that you have also copied them in all your correspondence, please be advised that this is a matter for the Mayor's Office.
If you have any further queries in this regard, I would invite you to communicate directly with the City of Cape Town Mayor's Office at mayor.mayor@capetown.gov.za, or via post at Private Bag X9181, Cape Town, 8000.
Many Thanks,
Gaironesa Sonnenberg
Democratic Alliance National Leader's Office
Parliament of South Africa
WELL MY SUSPICIONS AND BADGERING OF COUNCIL , PREMIERS OFFICE AND THE MEDIA HAVE PAID OFF READ ARTICLE FROM TONIGHTS PAPER ... WHAT SURPRISES ME IS ONE PERSON CAN THROUGH PERSISTENCE BRING SOMETHING TO A HALT YET THERE IS A WHOLE COMMUNITY IN WALMER AND THEY COULD / WOULD NOT MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN .. A LIFE LESSON FOR ALL ... AND YES A PESONAL LESSON TO ME DONT GET PERSONAL OR EMOTIONAL JUST STICK TO THE FACTS AND BADGER THOSE IN POWER ... READ ATTACHMENTS .. PS TAKE NOTE THE ATTACHMENTS ARE HUGE TO PRESERVE TEXT READABLE ,, TAKES TIME TO OPEN UP ,, SUGGEST MAYBE DOWNLOAD TO PC THEN OPEN ...
NEXT PART
HERE THE LAST STRING OF EMAIL.. STRANGE THE NAME HENSHILL HOWARD RINGS A BELL ...
From: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
To: lynnette.johns@inl.co.za
Subject: FW: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:47:24 +0000
Good evening Lynnette ,
from the answers in reply below my reply appears I am not a too popular boy for the comments ... as i have said no regrets ... I oush buttons and prod where necessary ... seems they in city somehow slipped up in my book ... read /// add to story .....
Regards ... Alexander
________________________________________
From: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
To: peter.henshallhoward@capetown.gov.za
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:30:19 +0000
Dear Peter ,
Thank you so much for the reply and your candid comments ... I understand perfectly the limitations that the City administration work under , nothwithstanding that I am of the opinion that the city should have with the initial controversy surrounding Oasis desire to develop a monstrosoity paid a bit more attention to their goings on ... understood they have a professional company doing their work etc but it is at their instruction ... and my understanding from sources is that this is not the first time that the owners of the building have have departed from agreed plans , all the more reason for following their progress .. The comment " In the event conditions on site, not the least of which was the state of the old building, resulted in parts of the building being broken down for safety reasons " is to my opinion an , and excuse the opinion a load of codswallop ... the entire building was a strongly built and perfectly
habitable home ... trust me I live in a 107 year old home in Woodstock , perfectly sound and will most probably outlast some of the junk being built today ... and have friends living in even older buildings in other areas , many of them also old original historical value farmhouses .. all still standing and sound ... I unfortunately take the comment of whoever stated that as reason to demolish with a huge pinch of salt ... if anything would would have made the existing building unsafe it would have been their extensive excavation around it ... My opinion remains that their intent was to get what they wanted . In my engagement with the Walmer association when I expresssed concern about the ripping away of the original balcony last year sometime was that they were lovingly restoring the Manor home and that parts of it were being sent to UK for restoration ... I found this comment rather strange but accepted it on face value ... the removal of the rear U wings I still accepted as possibly they required space .. but when this last travesty started I have sprung into action ... sadly so the damage is done ...nothing can reverse what they have done .... and yes I have possibly in my pushing buttons , prodding , and asking for answers raised some ire in the city administration , for that I have no regret as I have heard so many " ordinary " people having endless hassles with doing routine work and minor alterations on their homes but then when some well heeled with armies of professional engineers , construction firms and lawyers in their employ and at their behest behind them , seem to feel able to flout all regulations and considerations ... its indeed a skewed equation in my book ...
On the comment ...
A Notice has been served on the owners for contravening the conditions of approval and Heritage Western Cape have been requested to take action in terms of the Heritage Resources Act.
I am indeeed heartened and satisfied ... I do hope appropriate action will be taken ,, unfortunately nothing that can undo the damage done ... fortunately my again continual badgering of the media has now got the required interest , and to my knowledge the travesty will be aired in the media soon as a possible means of preventing such unfortunate occurences recurring ..
For your perusal I attach pictures firstly of when I engaged the City on this matter to the latest demolition ... its indeed a sad state of affairs ... as for the retaining of facades , in my book its indeed an exeptional departure , examples of which i have seen in the CBD of the city .. where the buildinginvolved is in a terrace of buildings .. and yes the final result is satisfactory .... this was a free standing building and should have been left as such ...
Regards ,,,
Alexander ( Sandy ) Buchanan
________________________________________
From: Peter.HenshallHoward@capetown.gov.za
To: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
CC: Ursolino.Gonsalves@capetown.gov.za; Mark.Callaghan@capetown.gov.za
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:52:28 +0200
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Dear Mr. Alexander,
Firstly, let me state categorically that the City did not "allow the virtual demolition of a historical building to occur".
Secondly, I must point out that the City does not and cannot act as a clerk-of-works on any building site, that is to say we do not supervise building work. Adherence to the approved build plan and compliance with the relevant legislation is the responsibility of the property owner, his professional team and the builder.
For the record the owner did appoint an Architect and a Registered Structural Engineer to oversee this project.
The owner of the property does have an inalienable right to develop his property, notwithstanding the fact that there is an historical building on the site.
During the process of approving the building plan application the City went to great lengths to ensure that the proposed development would be in keeping with the context of the site with its historical building.
The application was approved with the following conditions:
"2.4 No alterations and/or demolitions being permitted to any of the existing structures on the property without prior consent of Heritage Western Cape and Council.
2.20 a)............. No demolitions of any part of the structure can take place without the prior approval of Heritage Western Cape and Council's Heritage Resources Section;
2.20 b) All facades of the old building being retained. Any proposed change thereto must be to the satisfaction of Heritage Western Cape and Council's Heritage Resource Section;
2.21 f) Which currently reads as "New facades having punctured (windows and doors) and plastered walls. No glass or blank facades are acceptable;"
Amended to read as "All new facades shall be in accordance with plans as listed 3.1 below and shall be to the satisfaction of Council's Environmental Resources Management (Heritage Section)."
As can be seen all possible measure were put in place to ensure the retention of the historic building.
In the event conditions on site, not the least of which was the state of the old building, resulted in parts of the building being broken down for safety reasons.
There has been a huge amount of input by Council Officials, in fact the input was and is far beyond the normal level of input.
A Notice has been served on the owners for contravening the conditions of approval and Heritage Western Cape have been requested to take action in terms of the Heritage Resources Act.
Meetings have been held with the property owner and his professional team and a whole range of protocols have been agreed to.
In conclusion I believe that the City did all it could to ensure that the historic building remained intact given the limits of our resources and the extent to which we can get involved.
Please contact should you require any further clarity.
Kind Regards,
Peter
Peter Henshall-Howard.
Head Building Development Management
Development Policies, Processes and Legislation.
Department: Planning and Building Development Management.
Directorate: Strategy and Planning.
City of Cape Town
Tel 021 400 2049
Fax 021 425 6495
e-mail: peter.henshall-howard@capetown.gov.za
From: Alex Alexander [mailto:alexalexander3@hotmail.com]
Sent: 30 March 2010 09:33 PM
To: Peter Henshall-Howard
Subject: FW: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Good evening Peter ,
as per my previous mail below , I await response .
Regards
Alexander ( Sandy ) Buchanan
________________________________________
From: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
To: peter.henshallhoward@capetown.gov.za
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:07:52 +0000
Good evening Peter ,
feel as though I am being given the runaround as I am just being redirected or deflected all the time ..,,, but yes will direct the questions to you as in my correspondence below ... the burning question is how did such a what I regard as a total departure from what should have been a very sympathetic treatment of a PERFECTLY HABITABLE HISTORICAL BUILDING ... excuse the capitals but yes thats my feelings ... how did the City of Cape Town administration allow the virtual demolition of a historical building to occur .... I would appreciate candid and transparent answers ...
Regards Alexander Buchanan
083 254 9069
________________________________________
From: Marian.Nieuwoudt@capetown.gov.za
To: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
CC: Peter.HenshallHoward@capetown.gov.za
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:39:18 +0200
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Good Morning
1. I hereby confirm that Counsellor Nieuwoudt had a pre-meeting with her officials and the Ward Counsellor.
2. That the inspection on 18 March rook place with officials from City Planning, Environment and the Building Control officer. The developer as well as his structural engineer also attended the inspection.
3. If you need further technical information I would suggest that you direct such request to Peter Henshall-Howard or Ossie Gonsalves.
Thank you
Regards
Jackie Wilbers
Director: Planning & Environment: Oostenberg
On behalf of Councillor Marian Nieuwoudt
Mayco Member: Planning & Environment
Tel: 021 4005023
fax: 021 4001296
6th Floor, Podium,Civic Centre
12 Hertzog Boulevard
Private Bag X9181
Cape Town 8000
E-mail address: Jackie.Wilbers@capetown.gov
________________________________________
From: Alex Alexander [mailto:alexalexander3@hotmail.com]
Sent: 23 March 2010 09:52 PM
To: Marian Nieuwoudt; Mayor; leader@da.org.za
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Good evening Marian ,
I would gather in the absence of further feedback that the site meeting did indeed occur on the 18th . I anxiously await feedback and especially answers from the City of Cape Town administration as to how such a travesty could occur .. I still find myself in a state of total disbelief that such a demolition of a perfectly habitable historical building could be allowed , I am at the point of actually having the personal opinion that maybe some palms were greased and that now the City administration upon investigation finds itself in an indeed embarrassing situation as to how this ever happened ... What should actually have transpired is that the City should have told Oasis that if they wanted build some huge monstrosity and in the process demolish a perfectly habitable historical buidling to take there plans elsewhere to an open piece of land and do so with the utmost pleasure ...
I remain very resolute and would appreciate total transparency on this matter to the point of access to the process of how this actually transpired ... sad fact is I have tried to engage the press on this matter on numerous occasions but they seem to have other issues on their agenda , but yes continue to engage them to put it in the eye of the newsreader , and yes to draw the public to moving away from apathy and more action ...
Regards ,,
Alexander Buchanan
PS I DO HOPE THAT MS ZILLES MAIL IS STILL OT BEING FILTERED AND THIS INDEED GETS TO HER DESK .............
________________________________________
From: Marian.Nieuwoudt@capetown.gov.za
To: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
CC: Lucinda.Carstens@capetown.gov.za
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 14:01:02 +0200
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Good Morning
1. I hereby confirm that Des van Brackel has contacted you on 2 previous occasions and has given you details on how Councillor would deal with this matter.
2. Des has set up a meeting on the 11th of March with Staff members from Planning, Building office and Heritage office as well as with the Consulting Engineers to discuss the development.
3. She has also set up a meeting with the Ward Councillor to discuss the development on the 11th of March.
4. The inspection of the property will take place on the 18th of March and the owner/developer and her staff will be accompanying her.
5. It is not possible for her to do an inspection without prior knowledge of this application and discussion with the Consulting Engineers.
6. The owner/developer will only be available for such an inspection on the 18th of March.
7. The City is dealing with between 50 000 and 60 000 building plans per year and between 10 000 and 12 000 land use applications per year. It is imposibble to know the detail of each application therefore the procedure followed is necessary.
Regards
Jackie Wilbers
Director: Planning & Environment: Oostenberg
On behalf of Councillor Marian Nieuwoudt
Mayco Member: Planning & Environment
Tel: 021 4005023
fax: 021 4001296
6th Floor, Podium,Civic Centre
12 Hertzog Boulevard
Private Bag X9181
Cape Town 8000
E-mail address: Jackie.Wilbers@capetown.gov
________________________________________
From: Alex Alexander [mailto:alexalexander3@hotmail.com]
Sent: 08 March 2010 08:58 PM
To: Marian Nieuwoudt; Mayor; leader@da.org.za
Subject: FW: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
GOOD EVENING ALL ,
I STILL AWAIT SOME FORM OF RESPONSE AND ACTION HERE , SURELY THINGS DONT MOVE SO SLOWLY IN THIS FAIR CITY ???
REGARDS ,,,
ALEXANDER BUCHANAN
RE: OASIS PROPERTY WOODSTOCK
From: Laura Robinson (ctht@heritage.org.za)
Sent: 07 March 2010 07:39:24 PM
To: 'Alex Alexander' (alexalexander3@hotmail.com)
Cc: 'Cornelius Johan' (johan.cornelius@capetown.gov.za)
Dear Alexander
I know this property quite well as it is a landmark in the area, and am aware that plans have been developed for it to house offices over a period of years.
I am forwarding this on to my colleagues at the City of Cape Town Heritage Resources section as the Trust is not an approval authority. I am also not up to date on the status of their planning approval, however I think it unlikely that approval would have been given for the amount of demolition that appears to have occurred.
Yours faithfully
Laura Robinson
RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
From: Alex Alexander (alexalexander3@hotmail.com)
Sent: 07 March 2010 08:49:01 PM
To: marian.nieuwoudt@capetown.gov.za; mayor@capetown.gov.za; leader@da.org.za
Good evening Marian ,
I have been giving lots of thought to this answer , really I expected on the basis of the pictures suppied that some form of urgency would swing in , seems its the usual runabout . and being given telephone numbers to phone , not to sound petty but its not my job , but the job of those that we pay rates and taxes to . I have had answers from cape town heritage and they say it seems a major departure .. In my busy life I have to adjust my diary regularly , so I feel in your case a short drive from city center to Woodstock is not such a huge chunk out of ones day ... just my two cents worth ....
Regards ... Alexander Buchanan
________________________________________
HI Sandy,
Just read through the SAGA and thought I would leave you with this LITTLE GEM, just in case you have not made the connection.
The City Engineer you have been corresponding with, Peter Henshallhoward went to school with Ian and myself in oranjemund. His Mom was a sister in the hospital and they lived in the two bedroomed house just in from of the Old Bakery on eleventh avenue.
I have tried a few times to contact him but never got a reply.
Bet he does'nt know you lived in Oranjemund
Well done Sandy !!............ there are still David and Goliath's out there
This is indeed a mammoth fight that Sandy has embarked apon, but Yes, things are happening.... Wonder how much of a blind eye is turned away on similar matters...
@Clive, that id an interesting old Omund link....
bravo
Its good to drive past the site and see all activity stopped ,, sadly so the damage cannot be undone ... we await and see what the authorites do ... a hefty fine or stop the entire project entirely asnd fill the hole in would be a lesson as theyw ould lose all the money pumped in ,, hit in the pocket as a lesson .....
for me its now to engage premiers office and city and ask what steps they going to put in place to prevent such happenings in the future .... thats then the end of my task ......
Sandy, what actually will happen to the place now? Will the developers just contest the issue further? Will the place be rebuilt? Are the developers not pissed as they are bound to lose money?
Drove past this morning ,, and see activity again ,, just sent urgent message to council ?? yes if they are forced to stop totally then all stand to lose big bucks ,, if they forced to do a reasonable rebuild then they also lose money ,, either way its problems for them ... if they now in contravention of the order maybe a fine of sorts ??
FOR THOSE THAT ARE INTERESTED ... PLEASE EXCUSE ANY REPETITION OF EMAIL THREADS ... BY THE WAY CLIVE .. I ENGAGED THE PETER HENSHALL HOWARD WIHT YOUR MESSAGE THREAD .. -- SEEMS HE NOT INTERESTED IN HIS PAST LIFE IN OM ...........
From: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
To: marian.nieuwoudt@capetown.gov.za; mayor@capetown.gov.za; leader@da.org.za; lynnette.johns@inl.co.za; angusm@da.org.za; peter.henshallhoward@capetown.gov.za; gaironesas@da.org.za
CC: moira.vanderheyde@capetown.gov.za; lucinda.carstens@capetown.gov.za
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS ....
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:14:10 +0000
Good evening all ,
I have been away on leave wisely framed around the Easter weekend .. Thank you for the replies . I firstly read in the peoples post the Oasis spokesperson stating that they always had the interests of the historical building foremost and next a letter in the Argus in the same vein .. the basic statement being that their intention being to restore the building to its original glory as part of their plan .. I now offer statements and beg questions and answers from all .
My first statement is that I beleive that Oasis were not up front to the city , Heritage Western Cape and the Councils heritage section , based on part of the below mail
<<<< until such time as Oasis had appointed an acceptable Heritage Architect, who had then assessed the situation, provided a Method Statement and made a recommendation (to be endorsed by Heritage Western Cape and Council's Heritage Section) as to the immediate way forward. >>>>>
If they were indeed so , then the above in blue would now not have been necessary if all the parties mentioned had been kept fully informed as to how exactly they intended tackling this project . I remain of the opinion that Oasis went on ahead departing from their " original " plans and that the parties mentioned in the blue have now in hindsight been brought to awareness of what exactly has happened , in a short sweet expression been caught with their pants down . My opinion based on the fact that the amount of demolition would not have been allowed if all parties mentioned were fully aware . I also find the statements that parts of the building were " unstable " also very suspect .
Oasis spokespersons comment that they have stored all historical bits and pieces for re installation needs to be followed up in that they must show all relevant parties the bits and pieces in their storage awaiting this happening ... I would call that transparency ....
I have on memory recall many similar incidents in the similar vein occuring within this city over the years ,,,
Now back to my questions
1. Are their intentions of the amount of demolition on record ?
2. Where are the engineers reports of the " instability " of parts of the building that amazingly grew into the virtual entirety ?
3. Are their full plans and intent of scope of work available and all parties informed ??
4 . The burning question is how is the City , Heritage Western Cape and the Councils Heritage section going to prevent such travesties again ??
The last question being the most relevant ,, again I quote the oroginal controversy surrounding this project ...
Regards ....
Alexander ( Sandy ) Buchanan
________________________________________
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2010 12:36:49 +0200
From: leader@da.org.za
To: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
Dear Mr. Alexander,
On behalf of Helen Zille, I would like to thank you for the e-mail that you sent to her.
Please note that we have taken your suggestion under consideration, and thank you once again for your remarks.
Yours sincerely,
Angus Mackenzie
Public Liaison Officer
Democratic Alliance National Leaders Office
Parliament of South Africa
________________________________________
From: Alex Alexander [mailto:alexalexander3@hotmail.com]
Sent: 31 March 2010 10:50 PM
To: Leader
Subject: FW: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Dear Gaironesa ,
below my latest reply to the city and their reply below mine ,,, read through properly ... indeed a lesson to be learnt from this all I believe ..
Regards Alexander
From: Marian.Nieuwoudt@capetown.gov.za
To: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
CC: Moira.VanDerHeyde@capetown.gov.za; Lucinda.Carstens@capetown.gov.za
Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2010 08:24:42 +0200
Subject: FW: FOLLOW UP OASIS ....
Good Morning
1. Please refer to your e-mail dated 6 April 2010.
2. Attached a copy of a reply received from Ossie Gonsalves that "the area in question has been cordoned off and there is no work taking place within it".
Thank you.
Regards
Jackie Wilbers
Director: Planning & Environment: Oostenberg
On behalf of Councillor Marian Nieuwoudt
Mayco Member: Planning & Environment
Tel.: 021 400 5023
Fax: 021 400 1296
6th Floor, Podium, Civic Centre
12 Hertzog Boulevard
Private Bag X9181
Cape Town 8000
E-mail address: Jackie.Wilbers@capetown.gov.za
From: Ossie Gonsalves
Sent: 08 April 2010 04:46 PM
To: Marian Nieuwoudt; Mark Callaghan
Cc: Peter Henshall-Howard; Margot Muller; Sandra Hustwick; Zain Mccallum
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS ....
Dear Cllr Nieuwoudt,
The Cease Works Notice only applied to the Historic Villa building and prevented any work being done within a 2m perimeter area around this building until such time as Oasis had appointed an acceptable Heritage Architect, who had then assessed the situation, provided a Method Statement and made a recommendation (to be endorsed by Heritage Western Cape and Council's Heritage Section) as to the immediate way forward.
I asked the building inspector Zain McCallum to investigate on site and confirm that no work is taking place within the stipulated area of the Historic Rocklands Villa. Zain has now confirmed that the area in question has been cordoned off and there is no work taking place within it.
Regards
Ossie Gonsalves
District Manager - Table Bay District
Planning & Building Development Management
2nd Floor Media City,
Cnr Hertzog Boulevard and Heerengracht
Cape Town 8000
Tel: 021 - 400 6444
Cell: 084 888 0702
e-mail: ossie.gonsalves@capetown.gov.za
Web: www.capetown.gov.za
________________________________________
From: Desiree van Brakel On Behalf Of Marian Nieuwoudt
Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 10:03 AM
To: Ossie Gonsalves; Mark Callaghan
Cc: Peter Henshall-Howard
Subject: FW: FOLLOW UP OASIS ....
Good Morning Ossie and Mark
Ossie and Mark, could you please respond?
Thank you.
Regards
Jackie Wilbers
Director: Planning & Environment: Oostenberg
On behalf of Councillor Marian Nieuwoudt
Mayco Member: Planning & Environment
Tel.: 021 400 5023
Fax: 021 400 1296
6th Floor, Podium, Civic Centre
12 Hertzog Boulevard
Private Bag X9181
Cape Town 8000
E-mail address: Jackie.Wilbers@capetown.gov.za
From: Alex Alexander [mailto:alexalexander3@hotmail.com]
Sent: 06 April 2010 07:01 PM
To: Peter Henshall-Howard; Mayor; Marian Nieuwoudt; leader@da.org.za; lynnette.johns@inl.co.za
Subject: FOLLOW UP OASIS ....
Good evening all ,
as per the attached newspaper article and previous correspondence ,,, it is stated that the owners and developers were issued an order to stop work on the site ... in my book that means ALL AND ANY WORK ... I see on my homeward trip that the building site is open and there are workers and the huge crane in action .... In my book a stop work order should mean the gates padlocked by city engineers and heritage and no-one allowed on site till full investigation completed .. in my book the owners and their developers are arrogantly flouting the order and should accordingly be taken to task ... in the meantime bear the brunt of financial loss on lost time ,,, in my book a reasonable lesson .. I may be mistaken but thats my take on this matter ...
Furthermore I beg the answer from city as to how in future they aim to prevent travesties of such a nature re-occuring ..??
Regards Alexander ( Sandy) Buchanan
From: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
To: peter.henshallhoward@capetown.gov.za
Subject: RE: FOLLOW UP OASIS PROPERTY
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:30:19 +0000
Dear Peter ,
Thank you so much for the reply and your candid comments ... I understand perfectly the limitations that the City administration work under , nothwithstanding that I am of the opinion that the city should have with the initial controversy surrounding Oasis desire to develop a monstrosoity paid a bit more attention to their goings on ... understood they have a professional company doing their work etc but it is at their instruction ... and my understanding from sources is that this is not the first time that the owners of the building have have departed from agreed plans , all the more reason for following their progress .. The comment " In the event conditions on site, not the least of which was the state of the old building, resulted in parts of the building being broken down for safety reasons " is to my opinion an , and excuse the opinion a load of codswallop ... the entire building was a strongly built and perfectly
habitable home ... trust me I live in a 107 year old home in Woodstock , perfectly sound and will most probably outlast some of the junk being built today ... and have friends living in even older buildings in other areas , many of them also old original historical value farmhouses .. all still standing and sound ... I unfortunately take the comment of whoever stated that as reason to demolish with a huge pinch of salt ... if anything would would have made the existing building unsafe it would have been their extensive excavation around it ... My opinion remains that their intent was to get what they wanted . In my engagement with the Walmer association when I expresssed concern about the ripping away of the original balcony last year sometime was that they were lovingly restoring the Manor home and that parts of it were being sent to UK for restoration ... I found this comment rather strange but accepted it on face value ... the removal of the rear U wings I still accepted as possibly they required space .. but when this last travesty started I have sprung into action ... sadly so the damage is done ...nothing can reverse what they have done .... and yes I have possibly in my pushing buttons , prodding , and asking for answers raised some ire in the city administration , for that I have no regret as I have heard so many " ordinary " people having endless hassles with doing routine work and minor alterations on their homes but then when some well heeled with armies of professional engineers , construction firms and lawyers in their employ and at their behest behind them , seem to feel able to flout all regulations and considerations ... its indeed a skewed equation in my book ...
On the comment ...
A Notice has been served on the owners for contravening the conditions of approval and Heritage Western Cape have been requested to take action in terms of the Heritage Resources Act.
I am indeeed heartened and satisfied ... I do hope appropriate action will be taken ,, unfortunately nothing that can undo the damage done ... fortunately my again continual badgering of the media has now got the required interest , and to my knowledge the travesty will be aired in the media soon as a possible means of preventing such unfortunate occurences recurring ..
For your perusal I attach pictures firstly of when I engaged the City on this matter to the latest demolition ... its indeed a sad state of affairs ... as for the retaining of facades , in my book its indeed an exeptional departure , examples of which i have seen in the CBD of the city .. where the buildinginvolved is in a terrace of buildings .. and yes the final result is satisfactory .... this was a free standing building and should have been left as such ...
Regards ,,,
Alexander ( Sandy ) Buchanan
________________________________________
SO STRANGE ... I STICK TO AND PRESENT FACTS AND ALL CONCERNED SEEM INCAPABLE OF ANSWERING ...THE SILENCE IS INDEED DEAFENING ... MAYBE I'M STIRRING A POT TOO MUCH OR AM I JUST A TROUBLESOME CITIZEN ?? Birdie
GOOD NEWS ,,, NOW IF ANYONE READ THROUGH THE LAST EMAIL I SENT TIO THE CITY ... THEY BEEN STONEWALLING ME ,, TOTAL SILENCE ,,, YET THEY TAKING MY WORDS TO HEART AND ARE ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS I AM ASKING ,,, STRANGE HOW FOLK DONT LIKE TO GET CAUGHT WITH THEIR PANTS DOWN AND ADMIT IT ,,, I ADMIT MY HUMAN FRAILTY AS I HAVE DONE SO MANY TIMES IN THIS SITE INCLUDING THIS TOPIC ... READ THE ATTACHED NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ... I STATED EMPHATICALLY THAT I BELIEVED THE OWNERS AND THE DEVELOPERS ON THE BIDDING OF THEIR EMPLOYERS DID EXACTLY WHAT THE OWNERS WANTED ... AND NOW ARE IN A CORNER .. THEY CAN DENY ALL THEY WANT ... I LOVE THE COMMENT THAT HERITAGE WANT A FULL INVENTORY OF WHAT THEY HAVE CAREFULLY STORED ... I AWAIT THAT OUTCOME ... cat1.gif
My latest mail to all concerned ,,,
From: alexalexander3@hotmail.com
To: marian.nieuwoudt@capetown.gov.za; mayor@capetown.gov.za; leader@da.org.za; lynnette.johns@inl.co.za; angusm@da.org.za; peter.henshallhoward@capetown.gov.za; gaironesas@da.org.za
Subject: FW: FOLLOW UP OASIS ....
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:14:22 +0000
Good evening all ,
I am indeed heartened by the latest newspaper article I read this evening , I note deafening silence from all the sent to addresses in the City administration and DA leadership from my last mail dated 14th April ... to date I have not had the decency or courtesy of a reply ... seems the problem may be I am too much of a troublesome citizen stirring the pot too much where it is not wanted , well I feel vindicated by the newspaper article and I congratulate Lynnette Johns of the Argus on keeping this topic alive ... again I state that Oasis in concert with their developers just went on ahead and tried to get away with their veiled plans .. they can try the comment " we are a BEE firm with commitment to heritage " etc etc . is that supposed to earn them brownie points ?? ... In my opinion they have shown gross disrespect to the heritage of this city and accordingly so should be brought to task and rectify matters irrespective of the cost ... I would still like to see their correctly dated plans of how they intended tackling the project .furthermore I add again ; THERE IS NOW WAY IN ALL MY BELIEF THAT THE BUILDING WAS IN A DERELICT STATE ,,,ITS ABSOLUTE BULLDUST ... THEY ARE DISHONEST AND TRYING TO COVER THEIR TRACKS ....
attached articles to prod memory ....
Regards ,,, Alexander ( Sandy ) Buchanan
Below a comment to one of the many websites I post on ... take note this news spreads around the web ...
GOOD NEWS ,,, NOW IF ANYONE READ THROUGH THE LAST EMAIL I SENT TO THE CITY ... THEY BEEN STONEWALLING ME ,, TOTAL SILENCE ,,, YET THEY TAKING MY WORDS TO HEART AND ARE ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS I AM ASKING ,,, STRANGE HOW FOLK DONT LIKE TO GET CAUGHT WITH THEIR PANTS DOWN AND ADMIT IT ,,, I ADMIT MY HUMAN FRAILTY AS I HAVE DONE SO MANY TIMES IN THIS SITE INCLUDING THIS TOPIC ... READ THE ATTACHED NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ... I STATED EMPHATICALLY THAT I BELIEVED THE OWNERS AND THE DEVELOPERS ON THE BIDDING OF THEIR EMPLOYERS DID EXACTLY WHAT THE OWNERS WANTED ... AND NOW ARE IN A CORNER .. THEY CAN DENY ALL THEY WANT ... I LOVE THE COMMENT THAT HERITAGE WANT A FULL INVENTORY OF WHAT THEY HAVE "CAREFULLY STORED "... I AWAIT THAT OUTCOME ...
Mmm I was so peed off with this saga that the last mail I got seemingly the usual boucing back and forwards of clatter of beurocracy I did not even see the attachments and ignored ... ( lesson never do that ) /// below the last correspondence ... and attachments of letters ...
Note the foundations are of concrete and not the usual packed rock common to the era which could have stabilty issues if excavated too close ... part of the findings as per the attached letters states that they excavated too deep ,, they now under instruction to submit new plans as to how they intend " restoring " what they callously bashed down .. the City is on their case .. and deservedly so ,, again I repeat none of this would ahve happened if they were more vigilant or someone not numbed by the greased palm ( still my suspicion ) to express they found only two walls remaining shows how asleep they were ... attached letter in two parts .. interesting reading and my feelings and suspicions vindicated ,,
From: Marian.Nieuwoudt@capetown.gov.za
To: Piet.VanZyl@capetown.gov.za; alexalexander3@hotmail.com; angusm@da.org.za; Mayors.SupportOffice@capetown.gov.za; CedricReginald.Thomas@capetown.gov.za; Johan.Cornelius@capetown.gov.za
Date: Thu, 27 May 2010 12:31:58 +0200
Subject: FW: Rocklands Letter- Joint Site inspection by HWC and CoCT
Hi everyone
Alderman Nieuwoudt and the Chief Director: Cultural Affairs (Mrs Hannetjie du Preez) had a follow up meeting (after the site meeting on 21 May) this week to discuss cooperation regarding the Rocklands development by Oasis.
Ald Nieuwoudt also requested that the BCO visit the site every week and keep a record of his site inspections. She further asked that the Exec Dir, Piet van Zyl, issue an instruction to the BCO in this regard.
The letter of 25 May from HWC is attached. It follows that the applicant has some work to do to "replicate the villa".
Regards
Hannes Krynauw
Marian Nieuwoudt
Alderman
Mayoral Committee Member: Strategy & Planning
Tel.: 021 400 1307
Fax: 021 400 1296
6th Floor, Room 30
Podium Block, Civic Centre
12 Hertzog Boulevard
Private Bag X9181
Cape Town 8000
E-mail address: Marian.Nieuwoudt@capetown.gov.za
-----Original Message-----
From: Hannetjie Du Preez [mailto:Hdupreez@pgwc.gov.za]
Sent: 25 May 2010 07:42 PM
To: Marian Nieuwoudt
Subject: Fwd: Rocklands Letter- Joint Site inspection by HWC and CoCT
Beste Marian,
Soos belowe, 'n kopie van die skrywe aan Oasis.
Ek volg die ander saak wat die Burgemeester raak op en sal ter gelegener tyd aan jou terugrapporteer.
Veilige reis!
Hannetjie
Hannetjie du Preez
Hoofdirekteur Kultuursake
Chief Director Cultural Affairs
UMlawuli oyiNtloko weMicimbi yeNckubeko
Departement Kultuursake en Sport
Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport
Isebe Lemicimbi yeNcubeko NeMidlalo
Privaatsak/Private Bag X9067
KAAPSTAD/CAPE TOWN
8000
Telefoonnommer/Telephone number/Umnxeba: +27 21 483 9507/8
Faksnommer/Fax number/inomb yefeksi: +27 21 483 9509
E-posadres/e-mail address/Imeyili: hdupreez@pgwc.gov.za
Internet: http//:western cape.gov.za/culture_sport
WARNING: Any unauthorised use or interception of this e-mail is illegal. If
this e-mail is not intended for you, you may not copy, distribute or
disclose the contents to anyone. This e-mail does not give rise to any
binding legal obligations upon the Department unless the Department subsequently confirms the
contents in writing, non-electronically. This e-mail may be confidential,
legally privileged or otherwise protected in law. Unauthorised disclosure
or copying of any or all of it may be unlawful. If you receive this e-mail
in error please contact the sender and delete the message.
NOTE: This e-mail (including attachments) is subject to the disclaimer published at: http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/Pages/disclaimer.aspx. Please read the disclaimer before opening any attachment or taking any other action in terms of this e-mail. If you cannot access the disclaimer, kindly send an email to disclaimer@capetown.gov.za and a copy will be provided to you. By replying to this e-mail or opening any attachment you agree to be bound by the provisions of the disclaimer.
--Forwarded Message Attachment--
From: Cvanwijk@pgwc.gov.za
To: rehana@za.oasiscresent.com
CC: cape@archrsa.com; Clive.James@capetown.gov.za; Johan.Cornelius@capetown.gov.za; Ursolino.Gonsalves@capetown.gov.za; vanzyl.piet@capetown.gov.za; Bwalters@pgwc.gov.za; Cjikelo@pgwc.gov.za; Hdupreez@pgwc.gov.za
Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 15:42:39 +0200
Subject: Rocklands Letter- Joint Site inspection by HWC and CoCT
Dear Mr Vallie
Please find attached a letter in response to a site inspection on 21 May 2010.
A hard copy will be delivered to your offices.
Yours faithfully
Calvin S van Wijk
Assistant Director: Professional Services
Assistent-Direkteur: Professionele Dienste
HERITAGE WESTERN CAPE / ERFENIS WES-KAAP
Private Bag / Privaatsak X 9067
Cape Town / Kaapstad
8000
Third Floor
Protea Assurance House
Greenmarket Square
CAPE TOWN
8000
Tel 021 483 9692
Fax / Faks 021 483 9842
Sandy, you seen this:
LINK: http://www.iolproperty.co.za/roller/news/entry/green_light_for_demolition_of
"Green light for demolition of historic Woodstock villa
Heritage Western Cape says it has approved the demolition of the remaining walls of the original Rocklands Villa in Woodstock on the advice of two independent structural engineers.
But appeals can still be made within two weeks to the MEC of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Sakkie Jenner.
Oasis Asset Management, which is turning the 60-year-old building into its head office, has for 12 years fought off allegations by the Woodstock community that it wanted to demolish the structure entirely. But the company has insisted it is intent on restoring the building to its former glory.
The company had been battling with Heritage Western Cape which, with the City of Cape Town, issued a stop works order in March when two walls were demolished.
The heritage body said the demolition was undertaken without the necessary authority, but it transpired that the city's building inspector had given permission for the demolition of the two walls because they were structurally unsound.
The company also appeared before the Built Environment and Landscape Committee of Heritage Western Cape, furnishing it with additional documents to show it planned to rebuild the villa and to re-install the fittings and fixtures that had been removed during construction.
Heritage Western Cape said today that two structural engineering reports had found the structural integrity of the remaining walls unsafe after the earlier demolition.
Any appeals will be heard by an independent tribunal appointed by Jenner. If the appeals are dismissed, he will issue a permit for the demolition to go ahead.
Oasis deputy chairman Nazeem Ebrahim said today it would be surprising if anyone appealed.
"We followed all laws and at no time did we take any decisions without seeking professional advice.
"The (demolition of the two walls) was done on the advice of a structural engineers and the city's building inspector.
"Now two engineers report that the remaining walls have to be demolished.
"I cannot see how anyone could appeal that. If there are appeals it would be of a malicious nature," he said.
Meanwhile, heritage consultants who were appointed at the request of the city to assist with the undertaking by Oasis to reconstruct the villa, have submitted plans for reconstruction of the building using all the existing historical fittings and fixtures removed during the demolition by Oasis.
They must also furnish the Built Environment and Landscape Committee with specifications fo"
MIKE ,, MY BELIEF IS THE WHEEL IS ROUND ---
THEY WANTED TO DEMOLISH THE OLD BUILDING AND HAVE GOT IT RIGHT ... NOW THEY WILL DO THEIR DAMNDEST IGNORE HERITAGE WESTERN CAPE AND THE CITY AUTHORITIES ON DOING SOME SORT OF REPLICA ... PRETTY MUCH THE WAY THEY HAVE DONE BEFORE .. THEIR SMUG POEPARROGANT COMMENT AND THEIR ACTIONS WILL PLAY OUT IN TIME IN A REVERSAL OF FORTUNE ... THE WHEEL IS ROUND ...
Try this link Mike ,,,, also look up judge desai vs oasis or judge schlope ...
it says it all ...............
http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Oasis-Asset-Management
Mike .. me been rapping folk on the link you gave .... read ...
HELOO ALL .. GO TO THE LINK
http://www.iolproperty.co.za/roller/news/entry/green_light_for_demolition_of
I HAVE BEEN COMMENTING WITH FACT ,, AND WHAT DOES ONE GET BACK POLITICS AND DAMMNED RACE CARD ... UUGH ,,, !!!
Hoo boy this is getting interesting ... go to the link ....
Gee! Sandy, you having your private property developer war over there on that blog.....
trex-073
BoomSmilie_anim Go for it Sandy, hit them hard yesno
Stumbled onto this topic .. actually forgot to update ,, the firm in question had to rebuild a total replica of the old manor house ,, it must have cost them a mint ,, from an ethical point of view it was a win win ,, and from an aesthetics point of view they did a darn good job of it ,, the copy of the manor house partially hides the modern building behind ,, it is linked to the new building ,,,
Way To Go!
woo_hoo allgood