The City of Cape Town conducted an online survey about Miller’s Point, in which nearly 500 residents participated with far majority preferring the site to remain largely as it is with basic improvements to existing services. The Coastal Management branch of the city will take the feedback into account as it develops a long-term vision for coastal conservancy that is located along the False Bay coastline, at few kilometres south of Simon’s Town.
Reportedly, the Coastal Management branch of the City of Cape Town is busy in developing a long-term vision for Miller’s Point, which has a popular tidal pool, campsite and beach, and public launch site for vessels. The branch expresses the intention to propose improvements that can be implemented over time to revitalise and conserve the coastal asset that is also of great ecological and historical importance.
The process kicked off in November last year with an online survey where residents, visitors, stakeholders and interested ones, along with affected parties had the opportunity to share their experiences and views. In total, 490 participants completed the survey with 25% of them indicating that they visited Miller’s Point every week and nearly half (45%) indicated that they visited Miller’s Point at least once a month.
Deputy Mayor and Member of the Mayoral Committee for Spatial Planning and Environment – Alderman Eddie Andrews said that they are blown away by the huge interest which residents showed in this survey.
Andrews believes that this area is very close to visitor’s hearts, and it is also great to see that the far majority do not want fancy additions or changes, but simply want them to improve or repair what is already there, and to address universal access so that those who have special needs or use wheelchairs can also visit with ease.
Notably, Miller’s Point is a 300m wide strip of land that forms a transition zone between the declared UNESCO World Heritage Site of Table Mountain National Park and the Table Mountain Marine Protected Area. It is a key entry point to the ‘Great African Seaforest’ and is host to shell middens that offer insight into the indigenous history.
Right now, the site is facing serious challenges because of deteriorating infrastructure, and included outdated amenities, eroded pathways and inadequate visitor facilities. These historic buildings are also in need of restoration.
Alderman Andrews further stated that they now have a better understanding of how residents and stakeholders use this site, what they think should be improved and how best they think they can enhance its full potential for future generations.
However, there is a great alignment between the survey results and the plans of the City of Cape Town which will focus on repairing existing infrastructure, addressing universal access and conserving the heritage, biodiversity and local character of Miller’s Point.
The survey results will inform the long-term vision of the City of Cape Town, which is to be developed in consultation with local communities, stakeholders and the broader public. The planning process will include further analysis and investigations as part of the scoping phase that will happen in coming months.