New Woodlands backyarders and Kosovo informal Settlement residents, who have been on the housing waiting list for decades can now verify whether they are beneficiaries of a R212 million housing project.
Contractors are due to break ground at Erf 694, in Walter Battis Road, New Woodlands, in June or July this year, following site clearance and further securing of the site.
Residents are due to move into the units next year.
The New Woodlands Integrated Residential Development Programme (IRDP) housing project, which will yield 440 breaking new ground (BNG) housing opportunities, has been in the planning stages for many years and will benefit qualifying residents from New Woodlands and Kosovo communities.
The project forms part of the Southern Corridor Integrated Human Settlement Programme that is a catalytic project registered with the national Department of Human Settlements; a joint initiative with the City of Cape Town and will deliver approximately 50 000 housing opportunities to residents within the city.
Phase 1 of the Southern Corridor Housing Project will yield up to 10 000 housing opportunities in the Philippi and Mitchell’s Plain areas.
Guests at the project launch included Premier Helen Zille, Human Settlements MEC, Bonginkosi Madikizela, mayoral committee member for human settlements Malusi Booi, Ward 75 councillor Joan Woodman and New Woodlands Ratepayers’ Association chairman Shahien van Nelson.
Mr Booi said the City had set aside some R5 million of additional funds in the new financial year to assist with services for this project.
“These large-scale catalytic projects are absolutely in line with efforts to bring redress through the delivery of housing opportunities but also to provide tangible solutions to the great need for subsidised accommodation which has been brought on by rapid urbanisation,” he said.
He said the large-scale delivery of projects, including all tiers of government, was vital.
Mr Booi said formalising informal settlements as the mere delivery of formal houses would not be sufficient to address the ever-increasing demand for subsidised accommodation.
“Let’s continue t owork together as a society to ensure that we are ready for what the future holds,” said Mr Booi.
The criteria for applicants or beneficiaries for this project include that they must be registered on the Western Cape Housing Demand Database; must be South African or have permanent residency; be single or divorced, and have proven financial dependents permanently residing with the applicant; have a maximum household income of R3 500 or less; must not be current property owners; and must not have received a housing subsidy from the government before.