Cape Correspondent

CAPE TOWN — Western Cape planning MEC Tasneem Essop has given the go-ahead for the rezoning of Green Point Common in preparation for the building of the city’s 2010 Fifa World Cup soccer stadium.

All that remains now is for the city council to pass a resolution to give consent use to the building of the R2,5bn stadium. It is expected to do this when it sits again on January 17.

This will be followed by a 21-day objection period after which Essop will make her final pronouncement, clearing the way for construction to start within the first quarter of this year — a Fifa local organising committee requirement.

Essop’s decision on Friday has put plans for the 68000-seater stadium, which will host a semi-final match, back on track following a stand-off with the city council, which had asked her to make a decision on consent use, something she maintained was not her competence.

Essop said that while the city had conceded that it had erred legally in asking her to make the decision on consent use of the land, this controversy now had to be put aside. What was needed was to concentrate on the “bigger picture” of getting the stadium built, with its broader national and international benefits.

Essop said her decision upheld her department’s earlier decision, clearing the way for the stadium after changing the zoning from “public open space” to “community facilities use”.

Her decision contains “certain variations” that limit the height of the stadium and address aspects of its “visual impact”. A range of noise mitigation measures will also be added, along with conditions for roads, transport and parking.

The development will not set a precedent for future commercial development of the common, which will retain its “green lung” status.

A key variation is that the city will now have to compile site development plans for a new urban park for the 2010 tournament. Essop will now set in motion a six-month public participation process to gather input from Cape Town residents.