Thank you for your continued support regarding the proposed conversion of the approved hotel at 1 Shell Road into a 63-unit apartment building.

After further review of the proposal, it is important to clearly state that this is not a minor or technical change. It represents a fundamental and permanent shift in how this property would function within our beachfront community.

One of the primary concerns is that the site lies within the broader Koeberg emergency planning area. Regardless of comparative occupancy estimates, the key issue is the type of occupation being introduced. A hotel operates as a single, centrally managed establishment with coordinated systems and oversight. An apartment building introduces dozens of independent, permanently occupied households.

Permanent residential occupation means continuous year-round population presence, families including children and elderly residents living on site, daily commuter movement, and long-term reliance on local infrastructure. This represents a different long-term planning implication than managed hospitality use. In a sensitive planning area, many residents believe that permanent densification at this scale requires a cautious and conservative approach.

There has also been clear movement in recent years toward limiting new beachfront development to approximately 25 metres in height to preserve coastal character and manage visual impact. The building in question is significantly taller. While past approvals may exist, rezoning to permanent high-rise residential use would entrench this scale of development indefinitely. Residents are concerned that this conflicts with the direction in which beachfront planning is moving.

This is not about undoing history. It is about whether long-term residential rights at this height are appropriate in light of current coastal restraint principles. Approving this may weaken the consistency of height guidance along the beachfront and make it harder to apply similar limits elsewhere.

The proposal is framed as a simple conversion, but in practical terms the difference is substantial. A hotel is managed as a single operation with structured operational patterns and concentrated activity. An apartment building creates 63 independent households, generates daily peak-hour traffic, increases long-term parking demand, intensifies everyday use of surrounding streets, and may combine permanent living with short-term letting. The day-to-day lived impact on neighbours will be materially different.

The coastal corridor already experiences significant traffic congestion, especially during peak seasons. Permanent residential occupation will introduce daily commuting traffic, visitor traffic spread throughout the week, and ongoing delivery and service activity. Even if technical parking standards are met, real-world conditions often differ from planning assumptions. Residents are concerned about cumulative pressure on surrounding streets and evacuation routes.

Planning decisions do not exist in isolation. If permanent high-rise residential use is entrenched at this height in this location, it may influence future applications along the beachfront. Residents are concerned about incremental change — not one building in isolation, but the gradual reshaping of the beachfront into a permanently intensified residential strip inconsistent with current restraint trends.

This petition does not oppose development. It calls for a precautionary approach within a sensitive planning area, consistency with current beachfront height direction, careful consideration of permanent residential intensification, and protection of long-term coastal character.

We respectfully urge decision-makers to weigh these concerns carefully before approving a permanent shift to high-density residential use at this scale.

Thank you for standing together in support of responsible and balanced planning for our community.