i need some support please

[spatium]

I live in very fast growing town in South Africa. For the past couple of months we have been fighting a new 100 unit development at the foot of a very scenic mountaineous area. After much negotiations with the developers and their client who's names I can't mention (Group Five) oops! and (Anglo Platinum) - oops I did it again! we have now reached the stage where they want us to withdraw our objections to the development.

They didn't care about the fauna and flora, they never bothered with well designed public open spaces or the affect on municipal services (already our water pressure has dropped 70% due to other develpments in the area). As somebody who used to work as an Urban Designer - it saddens me to see such sloppy work and no respect for local context. What is even worse they have now persuaded my neighbours and the other adjacent land owners to withdraw their objections.

I have two days to do the same. I decided not to.

Any advice from anybody out there - perhaps how I should approach it - or where I can get a transcript of cases that were fought and won by the community?

I realised every community have their price. Appealing against developments gets technical, stretched out over months and eventually people get bored and they give in. Or maybe they are bought - who knows?

Sometimes I wonder why I still even bother? (sigh)

 

[spatium]

no replies

47 views and no replies - makes me sad

 

[Cardinal]

I think you would normally get replies, but for two things: 1) most of us are from the US and Canada, and are not familiar with the process in South Africa; and 2) you do not give us much information to go on. Still, I would think most people will be swayed by a good argument based on facts and good principles of planning and environmental science. On the other hand, government bodies also tend to go along with the majority. If you are alone and all of your neighbors have agreed to this development, you may be out of luck.

 

[Jeff]

Yeah, you don't provide us with much info here. What is the basis you hve for fighting the development? Pretty flowers? If so is that a viable argument in S. Africa?

I always say when twp come across a devleopment they don't want that they wrote the ordinance, now deal with it, but i don't know if that is the case in S Africa.

So maybe if you could give us a little background on how the planning process works in your area we may be a little more helpful, but please, don't criticize us for not replying. Think of it as a case of us not wanting to give bad advice.