Leading Pretoria property developer Atterbury has joined forces with beleaguered Hazelwood residents in bringing legal action to stop the unregulated trade and unuauthorised development at local hangout The Village. Neighbours of the restaurant hub, which sprung up informally in the semi-residential area in contravention of city laws, have been living an unsanitary nightmare of noise, garbage, greasy kitchen odours and parking violations for two years.
The lawsuit is the outcome of an ongoing battle by local businesses and homeowners against the unlawful trade and development by businessman Peter Michaletos’s Tytlos Properties CC and its tenants, as well as the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality which has failed to take action despite numerous complaints.
“We live with grease and fat spewing from restaurant extractor fans and raining down in our back yard, smells of garbage from the illegal dustbin area, loud music late at night… it is unbearable,” says Francois de Wet, spokesperson for the Hazelwood Home Owners Association. Traffic congestion adds to the woes, due to insufficient parking at restaurants and motorists who resort to parking unlawfully. A car count conducted on a busy evening showed up to 200 cars parked bumper to bumper in front of houses as far as two blocks away, obstructing driveways and obliterating any walkways.
“New structures are being constructed without the appropriate development rights being in place and consequently none of the building plans have been approved – and the city council does nothing to stop this,” says De Wet. He adds there is no foundation to claims that a new parking garage is to be built to solve the parking crisis. “No plans have been approved, no rezoning has been applied for, which would be the first requirement. It is all smoke and mirrors.”
For Atterbury, which has just invested millions to upgrade the road infrastructure in Hazelwood around its new development The Club, this flagrant disregard for the laws that keep a city running effectively is of great concern. Says CEO Louis van der Watt: “We can’t allow South Africa to deteriorate into a Third World country with a ‘free for all’ attitude. We have a responsibility as a neighbour who is invested in turning Pretoria into a world-class city, with a track record of ploughing back into the city over decades, to speak up and apply ourselves to helping prevent this potential crisis on our doorstep.”
Atterbury has been developing landmark buildings in Pretoria for 23 years and The Club is building on that proud tradition by bringing world-class facilities, including a new day clinic to the area, as well as the Pretoria Advocates’ Chambers. “Responsible development requires adherence to multiple regulations, starting with zoning; which are there to ensure a development is sustainable and will not have a negative impact on its environment,” continues Van der Watt. “When it’s every man for himself and rules go out the window, so do service delivery, maintenance, safety and ultimately quality of life. We are disappointed that the DA councillor, Siobhan Muller, has failed to act on any of the numerous complaints. But as private citizens we cannot and will not let this deterioration of standards creep in unchallenged.”
Since Atterbury and eight other ratepayers have jointly set proceedings in motion, the City Council indicated that they will not oppose Atterbury’s legal action and is in the process to commence action to address health and building structure contraventions at The Village. At least two restaurant tenants at The Village have recently moved out, amid rumours that the area will inevitably be shut down.
