The St James coastal walkway will be extended. The City announced that the very popular walkway will be extended thanks to donor funding.

‘I’m very grateful to this family for their generosity. This commitment is also an opportunity to set a long-term vision for this coastal walking route, and the City will work carefully with all relevant stakeholders as the project progresses,’ said Cape Town Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.”

The St James coastal walkway will be extended

The City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, says the extension is possible thanks to the generous donation from a Cape Town family. He says the long-term vision is to see the walkway extending all the way from Muizenberg’s Surfer’s Corner, beyond St James to Clovelly Corner. Andrews added that the City will be able to commence with the first phase of the extension.

Walkway: Construction of the first phase of the extension

Andrews says the family who wants to remain anonymous approached the Mayor in 2025 with a proposal to contribute funding to extend the St James walkway from Muizenberg towards Clovelly Corner. He says this funding will be used for the construction of the first phase of the extension, once all the required processes have been concluded. The Alderman added that following the family’s proposal, the City appointed a team of professional coastal engineers to prepare a high-level concept design and preliminary costing for extending the walkway in manageable sections. He says the work included engagements with PRASA given the proximity of the existing and future walkway alignment to the railway line.

The next steps

The City will now initiate the required processes to take the project forward, including:

“An environmental impact assessment, including public participation
“Detailed engagement with the relevant decision-making authorities and stakeholders, amongst which national and provincial government departments, PRASA, SANParks and heritage authorities; and
“Further technical design work, costing, and implementation planning
‘The St James coastal walkway is one of Cape Town’s most loved public spaces. Residents and visitors from all over use it throughout the year. The project to extend the walkway through a generous commitment of a Cape Town family will be warmly welcomed by all who love to walk this section of our coastline. Extending the walkway beyond St James will improve public access to this beautiful part of our coastline.

‘The intention is to extend the walkway from St James, where it currently ends, all the way to Clovelly Corner. Further funding opportunities may be explored in future to fulfil this long-term vision. For now, we are preparing for the public participation and other processes that will focus on the first phase of the project made possible by the generous funding from the Cape Town family. We will keep the public informed,’ said Andrews.