In late 2005 and early 2006 the Parktown Association and the Westcliff Resident's Association appointed the Town Planner, Steve Baylis, to update the previous RSDF (Regional Spatial Development Framework) and LNDP (Local Neighbourhood Development Plan) into a new comprehensive RSDF for submission to the City of Johannesburg.
As a starting point, Steve used the City of Johannesburg recent new strategies, such as the Strategic Public Transport Network (SPTN) and new land management policies. Steve presented these to the Community on the 23rd January 2006.
The second meeting on the 6th February put forward the proposed planning controls for the area. Parktown has a large institutional presence, including the Johannesburg Hospital, Wits University, numerous other hospitals and clinics and many schools. We also have some beautiful residential areas including Parktown west and the Conservation Area in the north. There is high density housing in the east and businesses dominate the "Parktown triangle", from the M1 in the east to Jan Smuts up to Eton Road in the north. Businesses also stretch further east from this triangle. As Parktown is a very mixed land use area the planning proposals are not applied across the suburb, but are selectively used for specific areas.
Where we have high traffic use roads (referred to by the City of Johannesburg as mobility spines and mobility roads) and where the SPTN will operate (Empire, Victoria and Oxford), the Council want increased density to help support the new public transport. Parktown is unique in attracting thousands of learners and workers to our area to attend school and University and to work in the numerous hospitals and clinics. On some roads, which aren't defined specifically by the Council but are busy with traffic, increased density and/or office rights remain the Community's preferred method of protecting the existing properties relatively large stands and gardens to ensure we remain "living in the garden suburb".
These are the presentations given by Steve Baylis and the minutes of the meetings:
Presentation 23 Jan 06 (Abbreviated as the file is too big to put on the web)
Heritage Area Presentation 16 Feb 06
Here is the Parktown Association's RSDF submission RSDF
Here is the City of Johannesburg Planning Department's 2006 RSDF
Next steps - the Parktown Associations RSDF submission will be discussed in detail with the Planning Department for review as the Precinct Plan for the area.