Nervous South Africans can add one more item to their jitter list of hijacks, robberies and degenerating precincts: the possibility of terrorist attacks on their suburban neighbour, the foreign emissary.

Mixed-use nodes in the suburbs of modern cities are attracting embassies and consulates away from central business districts. Foreign emissaries prefer to operate in these newly developed centres among homes, schools and shops. But some residents think this exposes their families to a new kind of danger.

Ironically, the first SA example of this trend is in Westlake, the posh development in Cape Town's Constantia Valley, which has been built between the seemingly even more threatening defence force command headquarters at Silvermine and Pollsmoor Prison.

The US government has bought a 4-ha office site in Westlake. It is spending R300m on a 10,700m² office building and warehouse where, in two years, after 200 years in the CBD, it will move its consulate-general. America's congress has budgeted for similar facilities being built in 84 other cities around the world, including a dozen in Africa.

Consul-general Steve Nolan says he investigated 60 sites over two years before choosing Westlake, mainly for its combination of zoning, size, price and setting. Despite having diplomatic immunity, Nolan took the development plan through the normal municipal approval process last year and made changes after some objections from neighbours. The facility is little more than an office building and is 60% of the space allowed on the site.

But as the Iraq war drew near, neighbours, particularly Reddam school next door, suddenly decided they were in danger. Parents had visions of RPG missiles fired from the mountain above. Or US marines leering at their daughters.

Part of Reddam's problem is that it is still 51% owned by developers Rabie, which sold the site to the consulate and seems to receive council correspondence. As a result, parents were unaware of the development until it was publicised in the local press.

Emotions aside, Steve Harding, a parent and property lawyer, makes a good point: "The Americans have every right to build on an office site. But a consulate has special needs and a suitable site should have been incorporated into the design of the development right from the beginning."

Johannesburg, where the consulate rents space in Killarney, may soon have a stand-alone facility. The US congress will soon be budgeting for the next of its 260 consulates worldwide to be upgraded. Bryanston and Morningside residents, where there are potential sites, can start getting nervous.

Financial Mail