Lauren Cohen

Ellerman House, the world- renowned Cape Town hotel owned by one of the country’s richest men, is causing headaches for its neighbours.

The five-star hotel has been reported to the city council for allegedly flouting zoning regulations by running a luxury spa on adjacent property.

It is owned by Paul Harris, the CEO of FirstRand Banking, who was ranked 23rd on the Sunday Times Rich List last week.

The Seapoint, Fresnaye and Bantry Bay ratepayers and residents association has now asked the Cape Town city council to investigate why Ellerman House is running the spa on a property which does not have business rights.

The 11-bedroomed Ellerman house on Kloof Road has the necessary business rights to be run as a guesthouse, but Ellerman Villa, situated on an abutting property is zoned as a single dwelling without business rights.

“We believe it is a 16-bedroom hotel with a spa that, according to their website, is open every day of the week for nine hours a day,” said Trevor Stacey, planning committee chairman of the residents association.

“This business and the hotel above it are operating on an erf zoned single residential, in blatant contravention of zoning regulations."

The Association this week asked the Cape Town City Council’s Planning and Building Development Management to investigate the allegations.

In 2005 an application was made by Harris to the City Council to remove title deed restrictions and create a double dwelling on the Ellerman Villa erf.

Despite residents concerns, the Spatial Planning, Environment and Land Use Management Committee chose to approve the application.

"Mr Harris told us all owners were entitled to let their properties, but there is a difference between letting your house and a fully-fledged business," Stacey said.

Lack of parking is another irritation for neighbours. "Residents objected to the application to develop Ellerman Villa mainly because of parking and traffic, but their concerns were ignored [by Council]," said Stacey.

Residents claim Ellerman staff use limited public parking in Kloof Road, putting even more pressure on the already congested Ravine Road.

"We are not denying it is a fantastically run operation, but there is a negative fall-out for residents who don’t have parking."

Tim Cumming, Ellerman House general manager, said the Villa was Harris’ home which was rented to outside parties in the same way as other people’s holiday homes were rented out when the owner was not using it.

"The spa is there for the use of residents that occupy the Villa. If the therapists have time we allow residents of Ellerman House to also use the spa. I suppose one could call it a “commercial spa” because they pay for treatments."

Cumming said no complaints about parking had been received recently from neighbours.

“I have established that staff members sometimes park in Kloof Road but only do so with permission from the people in front of whose home they park. Residents who have a complaint about this should call us,” he said.

Management of Ellerman House and Villa told the Sunday Times they did not believe they were running an illegal business on the property, but conceded guests did pay for treatments at the spa on the Villa property.

At R50 000 a night for the exclusive use of the spa and its five bedroom villa, it is probably only Harris’ Rich List counterparts who can afford it.

According to the Ellerman House website, the Villa comprises a spa, with two bedrooms on the ground floor, a living area on the second and three bedrooms on the third.

The two-page spa menu on the Ellerman Villa website lists 36 different treatments ranging from “Aromasoul Ritual Messages” to “Rescue Facials” and “Lip Blooming”, with prices of up to R800 for a treatment.

Two years ago when Ellerman Villa opened, Property Magazine said of the spa: “The Emperor Caligula would have been jealous of the jet pools, steam room, sauna and other wonders.”

The guestbook in the foyer of Ellerman House bears a signed photograph of US actor William H Macy, who stayed there while making a movie with Meg Ryan earlier this year.

His message reads: “To the Ellerman House, from a grateful film maker.”

Sunday Times