Land-Use Planning Students Grappling with Legal Reality

Land-Use Planning Law is a very complicated and practical subject. In order to enable students to grapple with this complexity, students are tasked with preparing a legal memorandum opposing a fictitious development on an undeveloped property situated in Scarborough, Cape Town. The site has been chosen as it is adjacent to a river, borders on the Table Mountain National Park, comprises of a wetland, falls outside the urban edge and lies within the coastal zone. The proposed fictitious development is out of keeping with many of the development parameters set out in the applicable zoning scheme and spatial planning frameworks. Cumulatively, the above scenario provides students with an excellent opportunity to test and apply their knowledge obtained through the seminars. Students spent one of the mornings during the first teaching block for the course visiting and being introduced to the site forming the focus of their assignment.