AGM Minutes
NORA Support
Dear residents,
The annual general meeting of the Norwood Orchards Residents Association was held on the 15th of March at Norwood Primary School. I have attached the minutes to the AGM, and the Fibre presentation will be distributed in a separate mail.
The most significant topic on the Agenda was the Paterson Park North Development. Those in attendance will recall that the City was not able to answer most questions asked, and in their defense stated that work was still in progress. I challenged them on this matter, since I had reason to believe that the Precinct Plan was to be presented to Council for approval in the near future. The response from one official in attendance, and that was not refuted by any of the other officials, was that this was merely an update on progress to Council.
Unfortunately this was not the truth. The Precinct Plan was presented to Council on Friday the 19th (a mere three days after the AGM). At the Council meeting the Councillor for Ward 73, Mia Snyman, objected to the Precinct Plan on the basis that it contradicted Council policy. The basis of her objection is contained in the attachment dates 17 March 2016. In response, the MMC stated that it was consistent with the Spatial Development Framework (SDF) that was currently out for comment. Clr Snyman’s response was that as the SDF is still out for comment, it has not yet been adopted and therefore cannot be accepted policy. On this basis the DA objected to the Precinct Plan, but it was pushed through by the ANC majority.
So, our neighbourhood has become a victim of politics, and it is clear that the City has had no intention of engaging with us.
But the fight is not over. The next process will be the Tribunal, where we will present our objections. Irrespective of the outcome, we will present the facts on the City’s dishonesty, and the poor process that they have led.
NORA needs your support to keep fighting. Please add yourself to our e-mail database by sending a blank e-mail to the following address:
norwood-vill...@googlegroups.com
You will then receive an opt-in confirmation message. Please click on the “Join This Group” button in the message to complete the process.
We also need your financial support. Please pay your annual subscriptions:
Residents’ membership: R150 per annum
Business membership: R250 per annum
Bank Details:
Bank account name: Norwood Orchards Residents Association
Bank: ABSA
Branch name: Balfour Park (Branch code: 632005)
Bank Account number: 9055545290
When you make your deposits, please send a Proof of Payment to noraco...@gmail.com
We thank you for your support!
Kind regards,
Brett McDougall
Chairman