Public Participation Process

Notice Number 261/2019

Notice is hereby given that Bitou Municipality has received the following application in terms of Section 15(2)(a), (d) & (e) of the Municipal Land Use Planning Bylaw (2015)

The application is available for inspection at the Municipal Town Planning Office (Monks View, Church Street, Plettenberg Bay) during normal office hours.  Telephonic enquiries in this regard may be directed to the Town Planner, Ms Adél Stander, Bitou Municipality (Tel: 044 501 3321).

Any objections to the proposal should be lodged in writing to reach the undersigned (Municipal Manager, Bitou Municipality, Private Bag X1002, Plettenberg Bay, 6600 and/or be hand-delivered at the Municipal Offices, Sewell Street, Plettenberg Bay) by no later than 30 days from the publication of this notice. 

Comments or objections received after the aforementioned closing date may be disregarded. A person who cannot read or write but wishes to comment on the proposals may visit the Department: Strategic Services (Town Planning Section) where a member of staff will assist them to formalize their comment.

Adv. LMR Ngoqo
Municipal Manager/ Munisipale Bestuurder
Bitou Local Municipality/ Bitou Plaaslike Munisipaliteit
Private Bag X1002/ Privaatsak X1002
PLETTENBERG BAY, 6600/ PLETTENBERGBAAI, 6600

Draft Bitou Zoning Scheme By-law for public comment

Notice is hereby given in terms of Section 12 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act (Act 32 of 2000) and Sections 57(4) & 59 of the By-Law relating to The Rules of Order for the conduct of meetings of the Council of Bitou Local Municipality (2019), that Bitou Municipality has prepared a new Integrated Zoning Scheme By-law in terms of Section 22(1) of the Western Cape Land Use Planning (Act 3 of 2014) and Sections 24(1) & 32(1) of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (Act 16 of 2013).

The Zoning Scheme includes three components – the By-law (specifying regulations and conditions relating to the use and development of land, including use rights and development parameters), the Register (reflecting previous development approvals/ amendments to the Zoning Scheme), and the Zoning Map (reflecting the zoning of all properties in the municipal area). The By-law will replace all existing Zoning/ Town Planning Schemes in the municipal area.
Property owners are encouraged to check the Zoning Map and Register with respect to their properties, and to report any perceived inaccuracies. If a zoning is contested, proof of the claimed zoning/ approval should be provided.

Full particulars of the proposed By-Law are available for inspection under the “News” section on the Bitou Municipality website at https://www.bitou.gov.za/zoning-by-law, or during office hours at the Bitou Local Municipality, Division: Land Use Management, Office 50, Second Floor, Melville’s Corner, 3 Kloof Street, Plettenberg Bay, 6600. Copies are also available at all public libraries in the municipal area.

Written comments or objections may be submitted for the attention of the Spatial Planner, Mr Marcel Minne, by email at MMinne@plett.gov.za, or by post to the Municipal Manager: Bitou Municipality, Private Bag X1002, Plettenberg Bay 6600, or by hand to the Division: Land Use Management, Office 50, Second Floor, Melville’s Corner, 3 Kloof Street, Plettenberg Bay, 6600, before or on 7 February 2020.

Enquiries may be directed to Mr Minne at 044 501 3319/ MMinne@plett.gov.za. Any person that requires assistance with lodging comments in this regard may visit the Division: Land Use Management during office hours, where a staff member will assist.

Municipal Manager
Bitou Municipality

Municipal Notice No: 398/2019

DRAFT: Spatial Development Framework

During January 2018 the Bitou Local Municipality (LM) commissioned the Review of the Bitou Municipal Spatial Development Framework 2017 in order to bring it in line with the content and process requirements of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013 (SPLUMA).

The proposed new Spatial Development Framework (SDF) for Bitou LM seeks to address spatial, environmental and socio-economic issues confronting the municipality. It also assists the municipality to efficiently manage current spatial development processes and pressures, and to strategically prepare for projected future developments in the municipal area.

More specifically, the SDF aims towards achieving the following objectives:

• Providing a spatial representation of the land development policies, strategies and objectives of the municipality in the context of local, district, provincial and national directives;
• Coordinating and integrating the spatial expression of the sectoral plans of the local and/ or provincial sector departments;
• Addressing inefficient, impoverished and scattered land use patterns where the poor is generally located far away from places of socioeconomic opportunities;
• Indicating the desired and intended pattern of land use development in the urban and rural parts of the municipality, including the delineation of areas in which development in general or development of a particular type would not be appropriate;
• Managing the conflicting demand between agriculture, forestry, urban expansion and biodiversity conservation areas;
• Providing mechanisms for the establishment of a functional relationship between urban and rural areas – both spatially and economically;
• Identifying priority investment areas in urban and rural parts of the municipality;
• Focusing on defining the economic footprint of the municipality and formulating strategies on how this can be enhanced in a sustainable manner;
• Coordination and alignment of the municipal SDF with the district and provincial SDF, neighbouring municipal SDFs, and any other regional plans applicable;
• Channel public and private investment into priority areas and align the capital investment programmes of the municipality and different government departments into these areas in pursuit of the five SPLUMA principles;
• Link all of the above to the Municipal Budget via the Bitou Integrated Development Plan (IDP).