BO-KAAP HOTEL GETS GREEN LIGHT

6-storey building approved

- GENEVIEVE SERRA

IF ANY archaeological sites are found during the construction of the six-storey hotel at 150 Buitengracht Street, bordering the Bo-Kaap, all operations must cease and Heritage Western Cape (HWC) must be informed.

This is among the requirements of the revised hotel approval, located near the Auwal Masjid, South Africa's oldest mosque.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis this week confirmed the Municipal Planning Tribunal’s (MPT) decision to approve the hotel development on a vacant lot on the interface between the heritage-rich Bo-Kaap and Cape Town CBD.

During a six-month engagement with the South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra), the mayor in his capacity as appeals authority agreed with the MPT’s findings - that of a smaller, revised hotel design.