By Msindisi Fengu

An East London estate agency has been forced to move premises after the city’s council rejected its bid to have the house from which it operated rezoned.

Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) council discussed the matter earlier this month , after an investigation by the planning and economic development standing committee showed that Century 21, had allegedly transgressed city bylaws.

They had been operating from a plot of land on the corner of Willasdale Drive and Old Transkei Road in Bonnie Doon since 2007.

Century 21 business partner Mario Raffa confirmed they would relocate after their applications for rezoning were rejected. “We’ll be talking to an attorney about this.”

He would not comment further.

At the council meeting it was discussed how the company had started a business in a residential area without approval.

Councillors said after their rezoning application was denied in 2008, a year after they had started their operations, the company appealed to the Premier’s Office, but the decision was upheld.

The company then appealed the decision to the council in February last year, but it was only looked at this year.

Committee chairperson Councillor John Badenhorst said the company had contravened the spatial development framework, which stated the area from which it operated was residential .

“They have chosen to open in a residential area and defied the city’s bylaws. They have been instructed to close down.”

He said failure to comply with the city’s decision would result in court action .

“If they don’t close down, the city will have to get a court order. We will push for it to close down.

“They have exhausted their legal action and there will not be any consultation with them,” Badenhorst said.

Municipal spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said the city had taken the matter up with its legal department.

“The matter of the Century 21 company is in the hands of our legal department as per instruction to have the business close down ,” Ngwenya said.

Source: Daily Dispatch