HBS lease not renewed

Writer: De Waal Steyn.

Sixty years after being founded and established in the Fernkloof Nature Reserve (FNR), the Hermanus Botanical Society (HBS) has been informed by the municipality that it needs to vacate its buildings in the FNR by July, as the lease will not be extended.

According to municipal Director of Infrastructure and Planning, Stephen Müller, the municipality has a shortage of office space and therefore the buildings in the FNR will be used to house the staff members of the Environmental Department.

“The Environmental Department will be housed in the existing buildings, while they take over the day-to-day running of the reserve and the nursery. The hall will still be used for public gatherings, as before,” said Müller.

He said this did not mean that HBS would no longer have a role to play in FNR. “What we are aiming for is to create a partnership between the municipality and HBS. We cannot take over all their functions and will create a space for them to be housed.

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