May 5, 2004
By Ndaba Dlamini
IN AN effort to get the proposed Rockey/Raleigh high street development project off the ground, the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) and Yeoville residents have agreed to establish a development forum that will represent all stakeholders.
"Without the involvement of all stakeholders in our community, the project will not get off the ground because we need all the input to make the project a success", Yeoville Community Policing Forum (YCPF) executive member Karl von Holdt said during a meeting convened by the JDA at the Yeoville community centre on 22 April. "My suggestion is that we set up a committee that will represent all the interests of stakeholders."
Representing the JDA's role as facilitator, JDA development manager, Sibusiso Buthelezi, proposed: "We see the need for a two-way information exchange between the JDA and the Yeoville community. For the forum to be transparent, terms of reference and a constitution to guide its operations have to be drafted."
When some Yeoville community members expressed reservations about the role of the JDA, which they felt was imposing decisions on a community capable of making its own decisions, Von Holdt countered: "Even if we may not want decisions imposed on us, let's not stop the process. The Rockey/Raleigh regeneration initiative is a pilot project to our benefit. If we increase the scale and range of community involvement and initiatives, we can only improve our ability to engage with the council and other authorities to improve conditions here."
Other members of the Yeoville community proposed that the committee structure should represent artists' and women's organisations in Yeoville, educational institutions, the business community, property owners, political parties, Yeoville residents, the YCPF and taxi organisations.
One community member suggested that ongoing research should be done on the development proposals of the high street precinct. "Without meaningful research, the forum will not function properly. My suggestion is that all organisations and members of the Yeoville community should come forward and gather all the necessary information required to implement the forum," she said.
The Rockey/Raleigh high street development project, a brainchild of the JDA, is aimed at "developing the street and its surrounds as a vibrant, dynamic shopping, entertainment and recreational mode for the Yeoville community".
The project identifies different zones for different activities along the length of Rockey/Raleigh Street.
The strategy sees the section from Fortesque to Kenmere streets being zoned as a civic node with a focus on public services. Further down Rockey/Raleigh Street an adult entertainment section will be established between Cavendish and Bezuidenhout streets, and investment in a small business hub and support centre will see the creation of a more dynamic business environment.
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