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www.thevillagenews.co.za
10 February 2021
High Street upgrade nearing completion Writer De Waal Steyn
T
he brand-new High Street redevelopment is starting to take shape, with work on the upper part of the street continuing briskly and expected to be completed within the next three months. The upgrade of the street forms part of the bigger CBD Regeneration Project for which a capital project budget of R7 million was allowed for in the 2019/’20 municipal budget. The regeneration project plan that was drawn up by GAPP Architects and Urban Designers was adopted by Council in 2016 and included in the 2017 to 2022 Integrated Development Plan and consists of six individual projects aimed at reviving Hermanus Old Town. In order to save costs, the upgrade of High Street was done in conjunction with the upgrading of the stormwater system in the CBD. Apart from the new paved street surface and levelled-out pavements making the area pedestrian friendly, a steel and timber pergola will soon be erected on the corner of High and Dirkie Uys Street opposite Rossi’s Italian Restaurant. The parking area behind the pergola could be used for events such as street markets in future. According to the project team from
GAPP Architects and Urban Designers, who are responsible for the High Street upgrade, the aim is to have a street where people can walk about freely to shop or sit at a table on the pavement to eat and drink. High Street will be transformed into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly retail street that connects the current “anchors” of the Station Square and Woolworths developments with the proposed Mitchell Square Development. The street will be landscaped to create a high-quality pedestrian priority mall. Traffic circulation within the CBD does not allow for the exclusion of all vehicular traffic from High Street, however there is a lot of scope to transform the street into a pedestrian-dominated space while still allowing traffic to pass through. Areas where cars are not allowed will be protected with trees, bollards and streetlights and will be clearly defined. As it is currently, the short section from College Road to the Woolworths parking area will be for two-way traffic and from Beach House Interiors to College Road it will be one-way traffic. In conjunction with the Environmental Department of the municipality, trees and groundcover will be used not only to beautify the area and assist with stormwater filtration but also to allow for natural cooling of the area. Separate planted areas will also be created and edged with
natural stone and topped with timber to act as benches. The overhead power lines will be removed, and new, contemporary streetlights will be installed. The power lines were moved underground at the same time the stormwater pipes were installed. The other areas that were identified for regeneration include the taxi rank and municipal precinct area where unused vacant land, haphazard parking, informal trading, and taxi operations are an eyesore. Several plans to upgrade the welcome signage across from the old synagogue are yet to come to fruition despite several promises made by the municipality.
Also included in the rejuvenation project is Swallow Park and Marine Drive. It is proposed that facilities for cyclists must be provided and Swallow Park upgraded to make provision for seating, lighting, and public toilets. The Commercial development of Mitchell Street Square behind Ackermans also forms part of the bigger project, as does Lemm’s Corner, which acts as the knuckle that connects the Old Town with the coastal edge, and The Old Harbour Precinct. This precinct is especially important as a tourist attraction. It is proposed that development opportunities are proactively explored with the Muse-
um Trust to investigate the adaptive reuse of buildings to accommodate commercial opportunities such as restaurants, venues, whale listening facilities etc. The amphitheatre space is a significant asset to the precinct and small interventions that would improve the unity between the Old Harbour Museum, Bietang’s Cave, and viewing points around the war memorial canon to the amphitheatre space will continue to improve the value of the precinct as a positive destination and public attraction. Plans of the High Street upgrade are on display at Rossi’s and The Gallery Deli in High Street.
Onrus Vermont SRA finalising plans T he Steering Committee of the Onrus Vermont Special Rating Area (OVSRA) signed the Memorandum of Intent (MOI) with Overstrand Municipality last week after a delay caused in an attempt to iron out a new clause which has crept into the final memorandum, the committee said in a press release.
“This clause relates to all future votes at an Annual General Meeting by members of the SRA non-profit company being allocated on a sliding scale according to the municipal valuation of their property.
"Both the Hermanus and Kleinmond SRAs have signed that clause
into their MOIs, and it was felt by the OVSRA Steering Committee that due to the time constraints involved in getting the SRA operational by July that we had no other option but to sign,” it said. According to them they are in the process of registering a non-profit company called Onrus Vermont
Special Ratings Area, and they are calling for nominations for directors of this company from property owners in Onrus, Vermont, Chantaclaire and Berghof. “The nomination period will close by the end of March and an election of directors will be held at a public meeting towards the end of
April 2021, which will leave the way clear for the SRA to be ready for the July deadline,” they said. For more information, or to receive the nomination, form please visit their website at onrusvermontsra.wordpress.com or send an email to onrus.vermont. sra@gmail.com.
