St Francis Beach Update -St Francis Property Owners Association (SFPO) Special Ratings Area (SRA) Update, as published by St Francis Chronicle
The Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the High Court Ruling, declaring the SRA and levy unlawful. Further, the judgment was received on December 1 2023. The SRA levy will continue to be collected going forward.
So, work on the Beach Restoration Project officially restarted on December 5, 2023, leading to the construction of Phases 1 and possibly 2 (if we have sufficient funding) in 2024.
WHY THE SRA
The SRA was proposed for the following reasons:
Restoring our property investments requires restoring our river, spit, beach, roads, and security.
Our Municipality had neither the financial nor political will to restore our infrastructure.
We decided to do something ourselves rather than do nothing.
88% of all votes received were in favour of the SRA
The SRA was approved by the Municipality and started on July 1 2018.
SFPO NPC and the Municipality are working in the spirit of a Public/Private Partnership.
Current Status: 2024
Investor confidence restored in St Francis Bay.
Also, an unprecedented demand for holiday and permanent residential properties has continued in St Francis Bay.
The construction boom continues in the greater St Francis area.
Santareme (Santareme, St Francis-on-Sea, the Port and Otters Landing) property values have followed the upward trend of the Village, Canals and The Links.
St Francis is one of the few South African towns experiencing this level of property investor interest.
This didn’t happen by mistake. It is a direct consequence of the confidence that existing and new property owners have in the future of our town, enabled by a well-run DA Municipality, and the clear and visible benefits that our SRA has delivered for restoring our security, roads and beach.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Long-Term Coastal Protection Solution.
Work planned for 2024:
We have commenced with the implementation of this project.
Step 1 is the preparation phase, from December 2023 to March 2024.
Step 2 is the construction phase, running from April/May 2024 for 4-8 months, depending on a timely tender process and contractor availability.
St Francis Beach Update: Work completed to date:
Advisian completed the preliminary design for the long-term coastal protection solution (i.e., Groynes and Sand Nourishment) in 2018.
The EIA for Long Term Coastal Protection Solution was approved by DEDEAT (07/04/2022).
The multiple breaches of the Spit have demonstrated the need for our Long Term Coastal Protection Solution, i.e., to restore our 2.7 km of beach from the Kromme River mouth to Main Beach. This beach is vital to the long-term well-being of St Francis Bay.
Completion of the Emergency revetment for the Spit by KLM:
The Emergency revetment provides a short to medium-term (3-5 years) protection solution. Further, none of the revetments offer a long-term solution as the beach erodes, and property owners and KLM continue paying to repair these revetments.
For more information, please go to www.stfrancispropertyowners.com
Contact details:
Telephone: 042 294 0594
Email: info@sfpo.co.za
Physical Address: (Office): 9 Philippa Place, St Francis Bay,
Postal Address: PO Box 18, St Francis Bay, 6312
See also: Elke M Update
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