Environment

Residents protest against Sea Point development plans.

15 Apr, 2008

On 13 April hundreds of residents of Sea Point on the Atlantic Seaboard staged a protest over plans to build a hotel and shopping centre on the promenade. The demonstration was led by local voluntary association Seafront For All (SEAFA), which argues that the development would lead to a loss of public open space and could pave the way for massive development along the coastline.

The project dates back to 1998, when the promenade was in a state of decline. It includes the construction of a 52-bedroom hotel and a three-storey shopping complex, restaurants, a gymnasium and other retail outlets.

However in 2004 improvements to the area led the then national minister of environmental affairs to give assurances that the development would not go ahead. However since then a tender has reportedly been awarded for the project and building is now set to go ahead.