Cape Argus

BAY ROAD’S ‘CINDERELLA’ BUILDING AN EYESORE

Luck of the Irish deserts property investor

IRISH property investor Kenneth Denton, who owns prime real estate along the Atlantic Seaboard, has raised the ire of Mouille Point residents who say his neglected building continues to be an eyesore.

Dubbed Cinderella, the Bay Road building was once overtaken by homeless people and operated as a brothel before Denton purchased it with the vision of it being a family home, more than 10 years ago.

The property was sold for more than R3 million in 2011.

Denton assigned an architect to build his vision of a dream home with a “world-class” structure, three storeys in height.

But the dream has not materialis­ed as Denton said he has been faced with concerns by residents.

“If I am saying it takes almost a decade to get planning consent on something and the systems are not working. Then the very people complainin­g about it are the very people raising 68 objections and delaying it, so they cannot expect it to be done and then go to planning tribunals and delay the whole process,” Denton told the Cape Argus yesterday.

“It is a family home, it is not a retirement home,” he said.

Architect Greg Vijoen of Design Lab Architectu­re, who designed the future plans for the site, refused to comment yesterday, due to a report by another news agency earlier this week, where he was quoted saying that “constructi­on was imminent” and that the existing structure had no heritage value and was approved to be demolished.

According to Viljoen’s website, a recommenda­tion was for a “unique design which had an extreme challenge and had an ‘open-minded client’ who allowed him to create a beautiful, simple, world-class structure which would be transforme­d into an architectu­ral masterpiec­e 4-bedroom home”.

Plans for the site, first submitted in 2012, were hit with several structural administra­tion delays.

But Mouille Point Ratepayers’ Associatio­n spokespers­on and co-ordinator, Jane Meyer, said the property has been an eyesore, adding that it was once inhabited by vagrants. Meyer said the building dated back to 1945.

“This property has been vacant for as long as I have been with the MPRA (which is over 14 years), all the while steadily deteriorat­ing,” she said.

“The building plans for this site were finally approved in March 2019, yet no constructi­on has started yet?”

The City of Cape Town said their Problem Building Unit was looking into the matter after being contacted by the Cape Argus.

“The relevant department is currently looking into the matter and the City will respond once the informatio­n is collated and verified.”

Heather Tager of the Sea Point Central Improvemen­t District said she was not at liberty to comment when approached.

Western Cape Department of Infrastruc­ture spokespers­on Jandré Bakker said they did not have jurisdicti­on over the site.

“This is a property in private ownership and not an asset of/under custodians­hip of the Department of Infrastruc­ture, hence the department cannot comment.

“The applicable planning/approval authority would be the City of Cape Town and as such the Department of Infrastruc­ture would not be privy to any future plans for the private property.”