The biggest danger to Cape Town is the present so-called 'densification' which is leading to unsightly tower blocks being built in the City and unsympathetic blocks of flats being built in areas such as Vredehoek where fine Art-deco buildings are under threat. CIBRA believes that there needs to be stricter control over alterations and new additions in this so-called Heritage area.

Once a month the CIBRA Conservation Panel (consisting of a dozen local architects and conservationists) meets to discuss new plans in the area.

The biggest danger to Cape Town is the present so-called 'densification' which is leading to unsightly tower blocks being built in the City and unsympathetic blocks of flats being built in areas such as Vredehoek where fine Art-deco buildings are under threat. CIBRA believes that there needs to be stricter control over alterations and new additions in this so-called Heritage area.

Additional motivation from the Woodstock Community Outreach Forum:

Modern and multi-storey housing development is destroying a niche destination venue and aesthetic tourist interest in the City Bowl and extended environs and a reason for so many visiting the City - permissible building height is now making old properties a prime redevelopment reality in these very old and historical suburbs where the style vernacular (e.g. Art Deco facades brings in a huge number of tourists to see what Cape Town still has as fine examples of this period of Architecture).

Woodstock, Salt River and Observatory have a variety of factory buildings and houses in various period venacular styles that until now have been left virtually untouched and are now under threat for redevelopment. Owing to renewed interest in speculative property prospects and housing densification these areas will lose the charm associated with the suburbs as the City allows for densification to occur. The biggest problem is the disregard by developers to the by-laws and they will maximise deviations and permissions to maximise profits at the expense of the history and aesthetics of the area.

Whole blocks of a suburb are flattened in redevelopment. Declaring this 'Expanded' city boundary to be within a Heritage Boundary will restrict crass development once given the realisation of the significance of the area - it's too late when it's all gone.