The popular Deer Park Café in Vredehoek will hear its fate later this week after an application was made to completely demolish the park in order for high-rise apartments to be built on the site.
This plan sparked controversy as Deer Park Café is a provincial heritage building. The proposed demolition has been vehemently opposed by Vredehoek residents, who have expressed concerns about the impact of this decision on the nearby Rocklands Park and greenbelt running through the area.
The potential demolition will be heard by the Heritage Western Cape committee on Wednesday, June 26.
As reported by IOL, the restaurant’s owners have said that they are working very closely with Signatura, the developers who plan to build the four-storey apartment block in Deer Park Café’s place and also have plans for basement parking for the block.
“A heritage resources authority may prescribe the manner in which an application is made to it for any permit in terms of this Act and other requirements for permit applications,” the National Heritage Resources Act reads. This Act will be considered when the committee gathers to decide the café’s fate.
Signatura is required to provide certain information to the committee for their proposal to go through, such as an urban study of the proposed building and a visual study. An urban study will identify the social, amenity and community values of the proposed building.
A notice announcing the demolition of Deer Park Café was first announced in September 2018. The café currently houses three restaurants and a supermarket.
Picture: Twitter