MICHELLE SAFFER
The Dido Valley housing project of just under 600 units is due to begin in June having gone through several years of planning processes.
The project is intended to house people who qualify and are staying in the Red Hill informal settlement as well as people who used to live in Loyolo, Simon’s Town, prior to their removal under the Group Areas Act.
The land is on a scenic slope off Dido Valley Road, across the way from Woodlands, overlooking False Bay and Simon’s Town.
Reporting back to the Simon’s Town Civic Association meeting on Wednesday March 23, ward councillor Simon Liell-Cock said the tender for the civil design (infrastructure) had been advertised on Friday February 26 and would close on Tuesday March 29.
“The site meeting went well, and there has been lots of interest from a number of reputable contractors. We are working hard to have a contractor on site by June 1 and the bulk earthworks and civil services completed in 12 months.”
He said the unit types had been agreed on: semi-detached houses, semi-detached double storeys as well as three-in-a-row row houses with pitched roofs. The next step would be the approval of the site development plan and the building plans.
While these processes are going on, the City will be signing up beneficiaries. “Before we start, we need to finalise the waiting list, which can only be done once the Red Hill household survey is complete,” said Mr Leill-Cock, adding that community fieldworkers would do the survey in April.
The City already had a beneficiary administrator and they would be liai-sing with the Commission on the Restitution of Land Rights to finalise the Luyolo list.