Status Update Feb 2024

Newlands Community Improvement District, status 01/02/2024:

We are over the first (and biggest) hurdle - the 2023 Referendum confirmed that a clear majority of property owners voted in favour of establishing a CID.

• Between 28 September 2023  and 24 January 2024 a Referendum was held to gauge the support amongst property owners for the establishment of a CID in our area.

• If more than 60% of owners were in favour, then an application to establish the CID could be lodged with the City.

• On 30 January 2024, the City confirmed than the Referendum audit showed 63% of owners had voted in favour.   About 65% of owners had voted by 15 December 2023, and over 98% of those were 'YES' votes.  

• Accordingly, on 31 January 2024 the Newlands CID Steering Committee submitted a formal application to the City of Cape Town.

Thank you to everyone who voted - whichever way you voted. This was an important decision for the future of our area and we needed a genuinely representative sample to be sure the right decision was made.  Logistically it was not an easy Referendum to run and sincere thanks to everyone who worked so hard to give everyone an opportunity to vote.   

What Happens now?

• The full application, which is underpinned by the Business Plan, has to be scrutinised by several different City departments.  They will check the numbers, policy compliance, etc.

•  If they all give it the green light, the application will be recommended to Council at the end of May, as they budget for the Financial Year beginning in July 2024.  At that stage they should have no reason to question the recommendation.

• If everything falls into place quickly (it did not for last year's new CIDs) then Additional Rates will be charged on July rates bills and the CID will receive it's first funds at the end  of that month. 

• Only once there is money in the bank can the Steering Committee legally start appointing staff and service providers. So there will be a lag.

• To minimise that, the Steering Committee is now drawing up job descriptions and service level agreements to prepare for the tender procedures.  Registration of a non-profit entity, for VAT, COIDA, PAYE, appointment of a bookkeeper, auditors, and all the things that are needed to set up a small company - there is a lot of work to do do make sure that we are up and running as soon as possible. 

REQUIRED FORMAL NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO ESTABLISH THE NEWLANDS CID:

NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO ESTABLISH THE NEWLANDS CITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (“NEWLANDS CID”)

Please note that:

1.            RM Turnbull, being the registered owner of Erf no. 97577, has applied for the establishment of the Newlands City Improvement District (“the Newlands CID”) in terms of the City of Cape Town: City Improvement District By-law, 2023 (as amended) (“the By-law”), read with the City of Cape Town’s City Improvement District Policy, 2023, to include all properties in the area within the following geographical boundaries: South of Princess Anne Avenue and Klipper Road; East of the M3 between Princess Anne Avenue and the Paradise Road off-ramp; West of Protea Road until Colinton Road; West of Colinton Road (excluding some areas within the CIDC CID; North and West of Glenhof Road; West of Main Road until Klipper Road (excluding some areas within the Groote Schuur CID). (A map depicting these geographical boundaries is attached hereto as Annexure “A”.)

2. The application in terms of section 5 of the By-law, together with the business plan and other required supporting documentation, may be inspected at 8 Ohlsson Way, Newlands (enquiries: March Turnbull info@newlandscid.org) and the City of Cape Town’s City Improvement District Office, 8th Floor, Civic Centre, 12 Hertzog Boulevard, Cape Town (enquiries: Joepie Joubert at 021 400 5138 or Joepie.Joubert@capetown.gov.za).