Posters for the Central SRA Public Participation Meetings will be going up soon. Please share these with fellow property owners.
St Georges Park Peace Walk
Many people yearn for the days when they could take a stroll through St George’s Park without fearing for their life or the lives of their loved ones.
As part of this a clean-up initiative, and to kick-off its drive, the St George’s Park Forum, in association with Atlas Security, Xtreme Projects, Gardmed, Precision Towing and the SAPS, has organised a peace walk by candlelight around the park on Wednesday 23 November 2016.
The walk will commence at 7pm sharp from the Nelson Mandela Metropole Art Museum at the Cenotaph and walkers will walk in a clockwise direction. Glow sticks will be made available to walkers prior to the 7pm start time and walkers are asked to dress in white as it is the universal colour of peace. An emergency services and security convoy will drive around the park simultaneously in an anti-clockwise direction.
St George’s Park is an iconic green space in the city of Port Elizabeth, being home to the Warriors Cricket team, a historical cricket ground, the open air theatre, recently restored conservatory, large children’s playgrounds and St George’s swimming baths (now closed). This beautiful park used to be a hive of activity, particularly in summer – with many families picnicking, visiting the Art Museum, just taking a stroll, enjoying the monthly ‘Art in the Park, or appreciating a Shakespearian production at the Manville theatre.
However, over the past 2 decades, this once vibrant park has become crime-ridden and many fear for their lives when walking through or around the park.
The St George’s Park Forum, which consists of local residents and businesses, is aiming to change this and bring back the comfort of yesteryear to the park. They are aiming to clean up the area and slowly nudge out the criminal element.
For many families, the peace walk will be the first time that they are able to walk around St George’s Park in relative safety – something which the Forum hopes to realise as a permanent state of being at this centre piece of the city.
The St George’s Park Forum, which is led by Karen Kelly of Xtreme Academy, would like to see a safer Port Elizabeth become a reality for all, but especially for younger generations – so that they too may enjoy the beauty which our city holds and which is currently largely unknown to an entire generation.
For more information please contact the St George’s Park Forum via Facebook – www.facebook.com/stgeorgesparkforum
The St George’s Park Forum is an informal community organisation which is focused on improving the quality of life for residents, visitors and businesses in and around the St George’s Park area. They stand for peace and unity and aim to see a safer and integrated community in the geographical area surrounding St George’s Park. They have a partnership with the Community/ Resident’s association in the greater part of the Central area in Port Elizabeth which is in the process of establishing a Central special ratings area.
The Forum, however, operates parallel to the Central SRA application and will continue to work on improving the area with activities such as reporting of community services in need of repair or attention, and maintaining a good working relationship with the council and the SAPS.
Central SRA Public Participation Meetings
Please diarise the following dates for the Public Participation meetings planned for residents on:
- 29 November at the Union Cricket Club and
- 1 December at the MBDA, Tramways Building.
Both meetings will be from 17h30 to 19h00.
CLICK HERE to sign the Central SRA Consent Form.
The birth of the Central SRA
Central residents give SRA idea a thumbs up
On Wednesday the 11th of November 2015 the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) held a successful meeting with Central residents, property owners and business owners to discuss the possibility, process and benefits of setting up a Central Special Rating Area (SRA).
The meeting unanimously agreed to the idea and for the MBDA to take the necessary steps towards the establishment of a Central SRA…..
Source: Mandela Bay Development Agency | Central , Port Elizabeth
Mandela Bay Development Agency
The Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) is assisting the Central SRA with support and legal advice – the MBDA also falls within the demarcated area for the Central SRA.
The Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), established in 2003 by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM), with support of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), is a special purpose development company which has become the driving force behind urban regeneration in Nelson Mandela Bay. The Agency operates under a Mandate in terms of its articles of association and service delivery agreement with the NMBM. While the MBDA falls under the local authority, it operates as a separate entity but works closely with the relevant Municipal Directorates .
The MBDA’s aim is to project-manage regeneration of the Port Elizabeth CBD with a view to promoting economic and tourism development against the backdrop of urban renewal. The mandate area of the MBDA includes the central area of the city, including the CBD, as well as the existing harbour. While the metropolitan area covers roughly 1950 km², the Mandate Area is only 1039ha (10.39km²). However, since 2007, the MBDA has been mandated to extend its geographical reach to include other parts of the metropolitan area, such as New Brighton, Uitenhage and Despatch, the Happy Valley Area and the new stadium precinct. It is well known that Port Elizabeth, has historically gone through a long period of urban decay and decentralisation from the inner city.
The rationale for the establishment of the Agency in 2003 was to create a special-purpose vehicle that would reverse the trend of urban decay and bring people and business back into the inner city by leveraging existing assets. In 2002 a number of planning studies were undertaken for the Metro including a Vision for the Inner City and The Downtown Study which focused on the Central Business District. A major recommendation of those studies was the establishment of a Development Agency to implement a number of the projects identified at that time. In 2004 the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) commenced with its first catalytic project, viz the Environmental Upgrading of Govan Mbeki Avenue.
