Botha's Hill Residents Association

Dear All

This year has been a tough one. A number of controversial applications for rezoning and EIA Application have been lodged. These have attracted a large number of objectors that has entailed many meetings and hours of admin work. The Ratepayer Association committees are all volunteers and are not paid for their work.

One quirk of the law is that, if an Appeal is lodged, every objector must be notified by registered letter, fax or email. The logistics of this is huge – Toyota had 254 objections: the Farmers Market claims 261.

The Emberton Driving Range rezoning and EIA has gone on for some time. The Farmers Market site has still to be decided by Council. The Outlaw Farm in Waterfall was rezoning for a small school for 10-15 pupils but it was later found that the true intention was to establish a church on the site. The difference in the actual zoning, the studies for traffic, water attenuation and sewerage would have to be changed. Tongaat/Moreland have an EIA study under review for the sewerage scheme that will serve Hillcrest and the new 2000ha development of Tongaat stretching from Hillcrest to the Shongweni Dam.

We have been fortunate in being able to get legal advice when we have needed it but if we want legal representation at hearings, this has cost plenty. An attorney charges about R1500 a day.

One won’t look at a case until you put up R20 000 deposit.

If, at a hearing, the applicants bring in attorneys and advocates, as has been done, 20 years experience in the ratepayer game counts for very little.

We really do need to raise funds for the Conomirra pot. Membership has dropped dramatically in all areas

Please send this out to all your members and your mailing lists.

I put an appeal out in the Hilltop two weeks ago and as far as I know, nothing has come in.

I have just spent the time from when I went on leave at the end of October until yesterday, doing the Farmers Market Objection and the Appeal for the Waterfall School rezoning. I took the hard copies of the Outlaw Farm appeal up to the Hillcrest office yesterday for signing. This was done by remote control and I had not been involved in the objection but was brought in by the objectors to do the Appeal. There were 13 objectors and we had to get an ok from all of them to appeal on their behalf and then again receipts for the appeal document. This is not yet complete.

Lilian Develing

CONOMIRRA: 

The Confederation of Mistbelt

Ratepayers and Residents Association