28/07/2022
#๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ง๐ถ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ
๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐๐ก-๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐๐ก๐
The enthusiasm with which home owners are assisting to beautify our neighbourhoods by sprucing up their sidewalks is much appreciated.
A word of caution, though: As much as the appearance of your sidewalk can up the aesthetic appeal and value of your property, be sure that your garden does not spill onto the sidewalk to such an extent that it would be virtually impossible for a pedestrian (leave alone a mother pushing a stroller) to move along the sidewalk without having to step into the road and, by inference, into traffic.
In accordance with municipal by-laws, sidewalks are classified as road reserves. A road reserve is the area parallel to adjacent erven, including the road itself.
In most cases, it is the space between an ERF boundary and the road edge and, besides being reserved for the placement of various underground services, the intention with sidewalks is to ensure that pedestrians can safely negotiate public roads.
In terms of Overstrandโs Policy on the Administration of Immovable
Property, sidewalk encroachments can be regarded as illegal if they do not comply with the stipulations pertaining to โProjections, Projecting Structures and Encroachmentsโ as set out in paragraphs 63 and 64 of this policy.
Accordingly, home owners and landscapers should exercise constraint when planting shrubs, trees and/or flowering plants as an extension of a garden onto the road reserve. Neither should they place rocks or loose stones on sidewalks in a manner that would obstruct freedom of pedestrian movement.
Owners/developers who wish to beautify sidewalks are, therefore, advised to submit an application indicating the intended layout and dimensions to the relevant Property Administration Department prior to disturbing sidewalks in any way.
For assistance in this regard, feel free to contact the Overstrand Municipality by sending an email to [email protected] (for attention Property Administration)
๐ด๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ฆ: ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐โ๐๐๐๐๐