Sea Point construction continues despite appeal victory

The demolition site of two historical buildings in St Johns Road in Sea Point as the community stands against its development and is appealing it. Months after residents of Sea Point celebrated their hard-fought victory in appealing against the development of a controversial block of flats, they now confront new challenges. The City of Cape Town has confirmed that the developer is proceeding with construction under legally approved building plans for a block of flats, raising fresh concerns among the community about the future of their neighbourhood.

The concern are properties located at 29 and 31 St Johns Road, where buildings as old as sixty years once stood. In response to the Cape Argusthis week, the developers said they were building legally. “We are building in accordance with approved building plans, “Jeffrey Solomon,Solomon Brothers Group.

Cape Argus reported that the final appeal notification,received on December 12, 2025, stated that the appeal was upheld and the application was refused. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, the final appeal authority, upheld the residents’ appeal, overturning the Municipal Planning Tribunal (MPT) decision. Residents had been appealing the demolition and development for months, with concerns previously reported by Cape Argus in July 2025.

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In December the city confirmed the Mayor’s determination to uphold the appeal, expressing relief among residents who were formally notified that their appeal against the proposed flats was upheld, setting aside the original MPT approval and refusing the application. However, in a response to Cape Argus on the construction, the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayco Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, stated that the developer is within their rights to proceed: “The developer is proceeding with lawfully approved building plans which did not require property consolidation,” he said. “The Appeal Authority’s refusal of the consolidation application does not invalidate the existing building plan approval, as they only addressed the consolidation, not the plans.

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