The R100-million Table View beachfront upgrade has reached the halfway mark with big changes set to take place there later this month, says the City.
Some have welcomed the upgrade, but others fear the ablution blocks will be used by vagrants and parking will remain a problem in summer.
The project, which spans 3km of coastline from Dolphin Beach to Bokkomsbaai, started in July last year and is expected to be completed by 2025 (“R100m beachfront revamp gets going,” Tabletalk, July 13, 2023).
The work is being done in phases to ease the impact on the public, according to mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment Eddie Andrews.
Construction sites would be closed off to retain public access to the beach, he said.
The first part of the project, including dune rehabilitation, was “making good progress” with the installation of 23km of wind nets and the planting of dune-specific plant species, said Mr Andrews.
The next phase, to start in the middle of this month, will focus on building new ablution facilities as well as a walkway from Bokkomsbaai to Marine. Parking areas will also be revamped, and the walkway from Marine Circle to Dolphin Beach restored.
The ablution blocks will be built between Shell and Seal roads and next to the parking area at Marine Circle.
There will be new parking areas opposite Visagie Road and at Bokkomsbaai.
A resident, Loren Hughes, said she was concerned about the parking areas being cleared to make way for the new walkway because it was hard to find parking along the beaches during summer.
However, she said, a walkway at the coastline was long overdue.
Another resident, Gareth Collison, said he wanted to know what would happen once the project was finished.
“Will this area be maintained? Will vagrants and street kids be using the ablution facilities? I think the upgrades are great and all, but they could add to the existing problems affecting this community, starting with the vagrants,” he said.
Ward councillor Joy Solomon said: “The dunes being stabilised is the best idea for this beach, considering that the wind would blow the sand into the ablutions, and almost no one could enter, so I am happy to see this project take its course.”