Land Use : Planning + Compliance

Part of the mandate of the GRA is to protect the rights and amenity of residents of Greenside. We aim to promote Greenside, as per our precinct plan and the Regional Spatial Development Framework, as a residential suburb with a green, “leafy” character, and to protect the core residential area by ensuring that the existing neighbourhood business node (along parts of Gleneagles and Greenway roads) is contained. In order to do this we ask that all business and landowners in the suburb take time to acquaint themselves with the RSDF and the precinct plan, and abide by the restrictions on business and building activity in the node and the suburb. Greenside has an approved Precinct Plan that guides land uses in our suburb. The Precinct Plan is prepared and amended in consultation with all residents, and is approved by the City of Johannesburg. According to the Regional Spatial Development Framework for our suburb “This Sub Area contains leafy suburbs developed around the Braamfontein Spruit and surrounding open spaces. These suburbs have a distinct residential character and high amenity. Land use changes in these areas in the past were met with strong resistance from residents. The objectives for this Sub Area recognise the Community Submissions, while allowing for selective land use changes and densification, as well as the containment of existing nodes to protect the core residential areas.

LIQUOR LICENCE POLICY :

The GRA has initiated a policy with regards to all liquor licence applications made in Greenside. The RA will routinely submit an objection to any application and inform residents about this, so if they have concerns they can also object to the particular application as well. The reason for the objection is to give the RA standing and leverage to meet with the business owners concerned, and try engage with them regarding the by-laws and restrictions on trading in Greenside, and our concerns about ensuring informed, legal and responsible business activities. These include reaching agreements to: not use the restaurant licence to allow for operation as a club or pub; not allow patrons to disturb the peace; play no amplified music or entertainment; provide reasonable parking; comply with health and safety laws, etc. The GRA will also engage with the applicant/licence holder to ensure that the licence is not be transferred to a new vendor without notification to the GRA, in order to prevent a new premises auto-transferring the old licence to the new operator with alternative arrangements or licence types. The GRA will assess each application in terms of the possible impact the proposed licence and venue might have on the suburb, in terms of land use legislation, encroachment on residential areas, erosion of the buffer zone between the business node and the residential area; we also want to protect the rights and amenities of residents and other business owners in terms of noise disturbance, problem patron behaviour, infrastructure and capacity, parking availability, health and safety issues and environmental degradation. If we are satisfied that the owner is genuinely going to run a restaurant (and not a club or pub) then we have the right to withdraw our objection. Only legitimate restaurant liquor licence applications will be supported in the suburb.