The Friends of Liesbeek Association has withdrawn an appeal against the Protea Village restitution housing project in Bishopscourt, Cape Town.

The association had brought a town planning appeal on environmental grounds. 

GroundUp reports a letter confirming its withdrawal was sent to the City of Cape Town’s southern district manager on 4 September 2023. 

Nick Fordyce, chair of the association, said this was ‘a show of good faith’.

However, a case in the High Court lodged by the same organisation remains.

The proposed housing development follows a successful land claim in 2006 by the Protea Village community. The claim was first lodged in 1995, where some 46 families opted for compensation. The forced removals took place under the Group Areas Act.

By 1970, all residents of Protea Village had been moved.

The state and the city agreed to award erven 212 and 242 to the community as part of the land claim settlement. The development has suffered several extensive delays, including two separate court cases as well as the planning appeal, lodged in November 2022 and now withdrawn.

One case, brought by a resident, has been settled.

Fordyce said there was never an intention to block the returning land claimants, but there were ecological concerns over the proposed development. He said the development was taking place in the upper reaches of the river on the only remaining wetland in the river’s upper and middle reaches.

Although the development had gone through the necessary environmental impact assessment process, many concerns originally flagged had not been adequately dealt with, according to Fordyce.

He said they have instructed their attorney to settle the matter, and ‘settlement talks are advancing and the pathway to development is almost entirely clear’.

Full GroundUp report