The Shongweni Farmers Market has become a major drawcard on the Highway calender, growing steadily in size and popularity. Now, it seems, there could be much more planned for the site.
Here follows a letter from Lilian Develing, chair of the Confederation of Mistbelt Ratepayers and Residents Associations, AKA Conomirra.
Attached is a copy of an advertisement that appeared in The Mercury on 14 October 2011. It is for a relaxation of controls and a rezoning from Agriculture to Mixed Use 1.
Click here to view the advert…
What the ad does not advertise is the intention to build a 29 000 square metre shopping centre and a 6 000 square metre office accommodation on the site. 29 000 is the original size of the Pavilion.
Traffic, sewage removal, the availability of water and waste water attenuation are all matters of concern.
Because of the obscurity of the advertisement it was not picked up until this week.
Objections must be in by close of business on 14 November 2011. The documents are available for inspection at the Delamore Road Offices between 7.30am and 12.30am Monday to Friday.
19 Comments
This has been on the cards for ages…..and now with the new Hospital across the road it is bound to happen. (think Pav/Westville Hospital situation). They always seem to make a plan about sewerage etc etc…… I live 2 houses away from the market…….guess I will need to relocate:(
To lose the Market would be absolute sacrilege! They have acres and acres of land on the other side of the highway. We can not lose this Hillcrest gem. Come on people, especially everyone moaning about the increasing commercialism of Hillcrest, send in your objections! Even one objection will hold up the process and hopefully with enough we can stop it completely!
Words fail me . . . The greed of humankind knows no bounds.
Thank you for bringing this to the attention of Highway residents, many of whom would not understand the legalese of the advert if not explained to them (or have seen the advert at all).
Hillcrest, Assagay and Highway residents, if we want to keep what’s left of our “country-style” environment we have to take action together. Let’s not sit on our hands and wait for someone else to do it or it’ll never get done. Our apathy has already turned our village into a traffic-lit city. Let’s save what we still can. See you at Sizakala!
Ah my heart will be so sore if they had to build a huge pavilion in place of a Farmer’s Market. Who goes to the Pavilion in anyways??? All the local farmer’s supply the Farmer’s Market with the best prices, freshes fruit, veg, meat, plants etc that you can not possibly get any where else- not even Essenwood flee market is as nice as the Shongweni Farmer’s Market. So please, think about what you are doing people!!! Do you really want the Shongweni area to be so build up that we poor in more pollution to our environment and already the Shongweni Assagay area is so beautiful!!!
Shongweni Market must stay. We need green areas.
As a matter of fact the original Pavilion was not 29000 square metres.
It was about 90000 square metres
Is there any need for yet another concrete fest in the greater Durban area? We have the Pavilion 20 minutes down the road. Hillcrest is max 5 minutes away by car. Exactly who is going to benefit here? The people who make money out of building things, and the company that will manage this horrible blot on the landscape. Like Amy Winehouse, I say, “No, no, no!!!”.
We are already landlocked at Alverstone as a result of increased development, with only one road going up the hill, past hospital, past shopping centre, past retirement home. The future is too aweful to contemplate!
I can only imagine if any form of development went ahead, that the wonderful Farmers Market will be relocated? If that is the case, the focus is not then that we keep the market, however the question is what is going to be developed on this open space? Such a development that is being proposed is not going to benefit the locals, there are enough shops close by. If this land is required to be developed ( change always brings growth, not necessary in the form we like or feel comfortable with ) why not something unique, something of value, also beneficial to the environment and the local community. Surely those wishing to dispose of this site can be sufficiently rewarded, not only monetary, however leaving a legacy that they and the community can be proud of? It is time for us all to be creative, think out of the box, not do the
“norm” e.g. big concrete shops and office…….let’s get together and discuss this and come up with some innovative ideas….I would like to believe that the owners of this site can be truly rewarded in other ways that are far richer for all!!!
That would be a wonderful win/win! We also need some green open spaces, where are
all the parks? I suppose they are viewed as a luxury as they dont bring in rates and the
upkeep is costly. There is a proposed shopping center where the Shongweni Club is
currently situated. Much ,more appropriate. How many shopping centres do we need?
If you look at the clipping it gives you various means to object to this, not just in person as stated in this blog. The essence is that it needs to be in writing.
You can email: cliffordn@durban.gov.za
Fax: 031 3112762
Or post: 22-24 Delamore Rd, Hillcrest, 3610
We moved up here to get away from city life, to be in the county and i think it is a shame that people want to distroy our wonderful county side by getting rid of the farmers market and building another monstrocity.
What a stupid idea, we have so many shopping areas in hillcrest and every conceivable shop already… , the market is one of our last green areas where we can socialize and bring our pets… abandon this project and leave our area alone…
The Shongweni market is the one of the best attractions in the Durban area, along with the landscape, country feel and abundant wildlife.
That yet another grotesque, oversized shopping centre could jeopardize this is an absoulte travesty.
If ever there was a time to rally against a moronic initiative, this is it!
This would be an absolute tragedy for Assagay, Hillcrest and Alverstone residents.
I say no.
I can only echo what everyone else has said. This is insane. I challenge the Municipality to truly act in the best interests of the community for once, and decline this application for rezoning. There is ABSOLUTELY no need for another mall. For s@!*t sake we move into these areas to be able to provide our kids with a lifestyle where they can spend every day in the bush, and develop a love for the outdoors – not become slaves to movies, fast food and arcade games.
This is not acceptable, it will ruin the country feel of the immediate area and cause a huge amount more traffic where we live.
This absolutely cannot happen- I attend the Farmer’s market at least once a month. it is what differentiates us from every other City/Town….it has the most amazing atmosphere.
i will be devastated if this is done away with.
The farmers market is a huge draw card for the area, being advertised in magazines all over KZN and also SA, e.g.: Your Family attractions, etc. Assagay will loose a lot of its “tranquil village” vibe if the mini shooping centre mall goes through. We don’t agree with the plans and would like to join any protest against it. We need to preserve the “quiet life” we experience in Assagay.