Stellenboschers should be made aware of an assessment of our town and environment’s cultural and historic heritage currently being undertaken by consultants to the municipality to comply with the requirements of the National Heritage Resources Act (No. 25 of 1999). A public consultation process is in process and residents in our municipal jurisdiction have until the 14th of December to make inputs into what our town and environment is going to look like in future.
Three of our members attended a session on proposed heritage areas in the Winelands municipal district at the town hall last night. All municipalities are required to update and submit inventories of their heritage assets to both Heritage Western Cape and the South African Heritage Resources Authority by June 2017. Important to note: No municipality can get approval for a Spatial Development Plan without a Heritage Inventory. The study area includes all the areas surrounding our town but it does not include the town itself. The Stellenbosch Heritage Foundation has been involved in compiling a heritage inventory of the buildings situated within the historic core of Stellenbosch. The majority of the buildings have also been provisionally graded. Responsibility for the compilation of a heritage inventory for the whole municipal area, however, vests in the Municipality. The current study affects all of us and this will inform the grading that influences the character of our surroundings: We, the public have one month to submit comments.
Details of the comprehensive study are available on the website www.stellenboschheritage.co.za.
If the greater Stellenbosch winelands is to be protected from a similar fate that has befallen Durbanville and a fast urbanising Bottelary valley, all inhabitants that have our very special environment and heritage at heart should add their voices to those that are trying to maintain the cultural, historical and wineland character of our region through one of the registered NGOs in Stellenbosch.
Once a heritage plan is in place it will regulate development in future. The effect of the lack of a telecommunications policy on our environment is there for all to see, without a powerful heritage plan much worse blightening of our environment beckons.