The City has approved a proposed hotel development in Buitengracht Street, near the heritage-rich Bo-Kaap and Cape Town CBD. This follows extensive consultations and pushback from Bo-Kaap residents as the high-end hotel will be located near the oldest mosque in the country, Auwal Masjid.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis made the announcement last week, confirming the Municipal Planning Tribunal’s (MPT) decision to approve a proposed six-storey hotel development at 150 Buitengracht Street, a vacant lot on the interface between the heritage-rich Bo-Kaap and Cape Town CBD.

The smaller, revised hotel design was reportedly the result of extensive community input via a six-month engagement facilitated by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA).

“This appeal concerns an application near to a Masjid that is of profound heritage significance to all of Cape Town. For that reason, this matter has been treated with great care and has followed an exhaustive engagement process.” said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis

Hill-Lewis added that the process resulted in a consensus that the building should be smaller, lower, and that intrusive overlooking features should be removed, along with several other mitigating design changes.

“The proposed building began its journey as nine storeys, but will now be six storeys, with a front facade of three storeys onto Buitengracht St. This is much smaller than several nearby hotels.” added Hill-Lewis

In a statement, the mayor says the efforts to accommodate residents’ concerns have resulted in a context-sensitive development that both protects heritage and promotes sustainable development.

The vacant lot is located along a 70-metre strip of Buitengracht Street, which is predominantly residential, with four existing non-residential developments of three- to five-storeys used as businesses or offices. Several nearby properties have exceptional heritage significance, including the Auwal Masjid at 34 Dorp Street, which is the oldest mosque and madrassah in South Africa, established in 1794.

The SAHRA-facilitated consultations led to a revised hotel design, which stakeholders and interested parties, including the Bo-Kaap Residents Association and other appellants, accepted.

A written memorandum of agreement (MOA) will ensure that the development will not, at any time, object to or complain about any of the activities of the Auwal Masjid.

It was further noted that no reports of disharmony had resulted from three hotels already within 100m of the Masjid, two of which are much larger than what is proposed on the site.

In his appeal outcome report, Mayor Hill-Lewis further noted that the revitalisation of the vacant lot will result in several benefits to residents, including improved safety, job creation, and economic benefits of tourism for local businesses.

A decision on parking was not part of the appeal due to the site falling within a ‘Public Transport 2’ area, which does not require dedicated parking.

The MPT has previously noted that hotel guests are more likely to use various public transport options and that on-street parking demand generally recedes in the evenings on this stretch of Buitenkant once workers leave offices in the area.

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