Streets and parks in the packed inner city suburbs of Hillbrow, Berea and Yeoville will get a major facelift over the next five months, with some upgraded to become high streets.

Plans are in place to upgrade the inner city

HERRINGBONE paving, strong earthy colours, public art and lush indigenous greenery are just some of the changes soon to be seen in congested city streets in Hillbrow, Berea and Yeoville.

A five-month project overseen by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) is set to start at the end of January and will result in a major overhaul of the public environment in these areas. The project forms part of the ongoing drive by the City to rejuvenate the inner city and includes upgrades to parks, streets and public buildings.

And to boost employment, 1 200 jobs will be available to local skilled labour. Five contractors will be employed and will require workers skilled in bricklaying, kerbing, paving, concrete work, pipe laying and plumbing. Skilled artisans and small- and medium-sized enterprises can register to work on the projects.

Julian Drew, the director of NMA, a social strategist company charged with the skills audit for the project, said no employment guarantees could be given. "Because of the fast-track nature of this project, only people with experience will be employed."

He was speaking at a public briefing held in Yeoville on Tuesday, 15 January to discuss the project. Briefings were also held in Hillbrow this week; a final briefing is being held this evening at 6pm at The Palace, Region F Social Services Building, corner Soper and Tudhope streets, Berea.

Over the next few days residents of the three areas will be briefed by the JDA; GAPP, the urban designers and architects on the project; and NMA on developments planned in their areas. The project will be completed by July.

Investment

Kotze Street in Hillrow is a hive of activity 24-hours of the day. Together with Pretoria Street, it will get a brand new look over the next five months

The reason for the upgrades is three-fold: to create safe, viable public areas, to induce further private investment, and to encourage residents to beautify their own properties.

Speaking at the public briefing, Andrew Luke, an urban designer at GAPP, said the project formed part of the work already undertaken in Hillbrow, Berea and Ellis Park and should not be seen in isolation. All these projects form part of the commitments made in the Inner City Regeneration Charter, which is devoted to bringing about a drastic transformation of the inner city over the next few years.

Five parks - Pieter Roos, Alec Gorshell, Le Roith, JL de Villiers and Donald Mackay - will be upgraded, with the emphasis on public safety and security. The public toilets in Clarendon Place and Lily Avenue will be refurbished.

Pretoria and Kotze streets in Hillbrow, and Rockey and Raleigh streets in Yeoville were identified as high streets and will receive the full sweep of upgrades – different types of paving with interesting patterns in strong colours, special parking bays, benches, bins, bollards, new bus shelters and guard rails are planned.

Streets will be greened with indigenous white stinkwoods and bush willows.

Activity streets

Rockey Street in Yeoville is earmarked by the City to become a high street and will receive extensive upgrades

Activity streets that have a lot of pedestrian traffic will get a good once-over, but with less detail. These are Claim, Twist, Bruce and Quartz streets in Hillbrow; and Abel Road in Berea. In Yeoville, the outer parts of Rockey/Raleigh and Hunter streets are activity streets and will be upgraded as such.

The sections of streets crossing Rockey and Hunter - Fortesque, Kenmere, Bedford, Cavendish, Raymond and Bezuidenhout – will also be upgraded as activity streets. Another 112 blocks are residential street zones and will receive attention where necessary, "bringing [them] up to standard".

In a separate project, closed circuit television cameras will be installed in specific areas. Residents will be able to keep a close eye on the projects, with feedback sessions held at monthly ward committee meetings.

Registration for employment will take place from Monday, 21 January to Friday, 25 January, from 10am to 4pm. Artisans must bring their identity documents, proof of residence, qualification certificates and references. Small, medium and micro enterprise contractors must bring a company profile, company registration papers, tax clearance certificate, CIDB registration, proof of payment of their rates and taxes, and bank statements.

The venues are Hillbrow Recreation Centre, Yeoville Recreation Centre and The Palace, Region F Social Services Building in Berea. For more information, contact NMA on 011 487 0021.

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