1. Introduction
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ENDUMENI MUNICIPAL HOUSING PLAN 1. INTRODUCTION: 1.1 While the Endumeni Municipality has been very proactive with respect to addressing housing issues within the municipal area (in terms of undertaking research and planning, conducting public consultation and the facilitation of housing delivery), the need to undertake further work was identified during the 2005/2006 IDP Review process and municipal funds were accordingly allocated for the preparation of a Municipal Housing Plan. 1.2 Maseko Hlongwa and Associates (in association with BCP Engineers) was appointed, in December 2004, to assist the Endumeni Municipality with the preparation of a Municipal Housing Plan. The Municipal Housing Plan has been prepared as a sector plan, for inclusion in the Endumeni Integrated Development Plan (IDP) during the 2005/06 IDP Review process. 1.3 For the purposes of this plan, it is noted that “housing” refers to an integrated approach to development using the delivery of shelter as the primary focus. As indicated in Figure 1 below, housing includes, among others, the development of housing units, service delivery, the upgrading of land tenure rights, social and community development and planning policy issues. Future housing projects should facilitate the attainment of all of these development goals. Figure 1: Housing Concept SUSTAINABLE HUMAN SETTLEMENT Shelter Community Facilities Community Facilities Poverty Alleviation Poverty Alleviation NATION BUILDING NATION Service Delivery DEVELOPMENT INTEGRATED INTEGRATED Land Tenure J Self Esteem ob Creation Policy Legislation Programmes Budget SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Further, housing delivery within the Endumeni Municipal Area occurs in two different forms. The first regards state funded, low cost housing in which the municipality serves as a developer. The second pertains to private sector developments targeting mainly the middle to upper 1 MHA, PIETERMARITZBURG FEBRUARY 2006 ENDUMENI MUNICIPAL HOUSING PLAN income groups. Other housing products include the upgrading of hostels into family units, rural housing, social housing, etc. This plan considers the full range of housing products and land which is suitable for such products. 1.4 At the outset of the plan attention is also drawn to the National Housing Code (March 2000: 29UF), which identifies the primary role of the municipality as taking all reasonable and necessary steps, within the framework of national and provincial legislation and policy, to ensure that the inhabitants within its area of jurisdiction have access to adequate housing on a progressive basis. This entails the following: • Initiating, planning, facilitating and co-ordinating appropriate housing development. • Promoting private sector development and playing the role of developer. • Preparing a housing delivery strategy and setting up housing development goals. • Allocating and planning land for housing development. • Creating a financially and socially viable environment for housing delivery. • Facilitating the resolution of conflicts arising from housing delivery initiatives. • Facilitating the provision of bulk services. • Administering national housing programmes. • Expropriating land for housing development. This plan is aimed at assisting the municipality to fulfil the abovementioned role assigned to it in terms of the National Housing Code. 1.5 Furthermore, attention is also drawn to the Comprehensive Plan for the Development of Sustainable Human Settlements (August 2004) and the Guidelines for the Implementation of Labour-Intensive Infrastructure Projects under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The Comprehensive Plan provides detailed information on the programmes identified by the National Department, with clear indicators of deliverables, time frames and estimated resource requirements. The new human settlements plan promotes the achievement of a non- racial, integrated society through the development of sustainable human settlements and quality housing. Housing is to be utilized as an instrument for the development of sustainable human settlements in support of spatial restructuring. The aim of the plan is to move beyond the provision of basic shelter towards achieving the broader vision of sustainable human settlements and more efficient towns, cities and regions. The following factors will be taken into consideration in order to achieve this vision: 2 MHA, PIETERMARITZBURG FEBRUARY 2006 ENDUMENI MUNICIPAL HOUSING PLAN • Progressive Informal Settlement Eradication: these settlements must be integrated into the broader urban fabric to overcome spatial, social and economic exclusion. The human settlement plan supports the eradication of informal settlements through in- situ upgrading in desired locations coupled with the relocation of households where development is not possible or desirable. • Promoting Densification and Integration: the objective is to integrate previously excluded groups into the city and the benefits it offers and to ensure the development of more integrated, functional and environmentally sustainable human settlements, towns and cities. • Enhancing Spatial Planning: greater coordination and alignment of various planning instruments and economic policies lies at the heart of sustainable human settlements. This requires more than mere coordination between departments but there needs to be a single overarching planning authority and/or instrument to provide macro-level guidance to support the development of sustainable human settlements. • Enhancing the Location of New Housing Projects: the location of housing projects has been criticized as reinforcing apartheid spatial settlement patterns. The objective of spatial restructuring demands a more decisive intervention in land markets. The following interventions are envisaged viz. accessing well located state-owned and parastatal land, acquisition of well- located private land for housing development, funding for land acquisition and fiscal incentives. • Supporting Urban Renewal and Inner City Regeneration: urban renewal and inner city regeneration often result in the current inhabitants being excluded as a result of the construction of dwelling units they cannot afford. Some municipalities are striving to avoid this by promoting affordable inner city housing. The human settlement plan will support this by encouraging social housing. • Developing Social and Economic Infrastructure: there is a need to move away from a housing–only approach towards the more holistic development of human settlements including the provision of social and economic infrastructure. • Enhancing the Housing Product: there is a need to develop more appropriate settlement designs and housing products and to ensure appropriate housing quality. The EPWP is aimed at alleviating and reducing unemployment by the provision of work opportunities. The principles/guidelines of the above plan/programme should be taken into account when housing projects are undertaken. 1.6 Given all of the above, the approach that has been adopted with respect to the formulation of this plan has been a strategic one, with its main components being as follows: 3 MHA, PIETERMARITZBURG FEBRUARY 2006 ENDUMENI MUNICIPAL HOUSING PLAN • Optimal Use of Existing Information: A substantial amount of work has already been undertaken with respect to housing in the municipal area. Optimal use was therefore made of the existing information. The Endumeni Integrated Development Plan, and subsequent reviews thereof, were used as the base. Other key information sources included the municipal housing waiting list, the Sustainable Housing Assessment report, the district municipality’s sector plans and provincial and national literature. • Holistic Approach: Social, economic, physical and institutional factors were taken into account during the project, in order to ensure that housing occurs in an integrated and co-ordinated manner within the municipal area. • Consultative Process: The project has involved consultation with a range of roleplayers. Consultation has taken the form of presentations and discussions at the Endumeni IDP Representative Forum meetings; and interviews with key interested and affected stakeholders (including Councillors and officials, government department and district municipality representatives, and private developers). • GIS: This has entailed, inter alia, the mapping of all the existing and proposed housing projects. 1.7 Finally, it is noted that this plan has been prepared strictly in accordance with the two guideline documents issued by the provincial Department of Housing to municipalities, namely “Housing Planning Template 2003 - 2006” and “The Department of Housing: Strategic Housing Planning Guidelines for Municipalities 2002”. The plan accordingly provides the following: • an overview of the local context (section 2); • information regarding current housing demand (section 3); • identification of land suitable for future housing development (section 4); • an overview of the current housing situation (section 5); • information regarding planned projects (section 6); • information regarding integration of housing with other sectors (section 7); • reference to the Endumeni Integrated Development Plan’s Spatial Development Framework (section 8); 4 MHA, PIETERMARITZBURG FEBRUARY 2006 ENDUMENI MUNICIPAL HOUSING PLAN • a set of performance indicators (section 9); • information regarding housing institutional arrangements (section 10); and • a conclusion (section 11). 5 MHA, PIETERMARITZBURG FEBRUARY 2006 ENDUMENI MUNICIPAL HOUSING