Walvis Bay council turns down lagoon rehab proposal

WALVIS Bay town councillors have turned down a proposal to transform a house near the lagoon into a rehabilitation centre for the treatment of people battling to kick their substance abuse habit.

The decision was made during an ordinary council meeting yesterday.

According to the applicants, there are no rehabilitation facilities at Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, although the abuse of drugs and alcohol is reportedly on the increase in these coastal towns.

The proposed centre, which would have employed about 14 people, was set to accommodate a maximum of 20 patients for 21 to 45 days.

The proposal received about 70 objections from the surrounding community, with residents citing the devaluation of their properties, security risks and compromising the safety of their children, who play in nearby parks, as concerns. The proposed location is situated in a predominantly residential neighbourhood and residents are worried about the type of people the centre will attract into their neighbourhood.

The council turned down the application on the basis that the house proposed for the facility does not conform with the town planning’s scheme control measures, which stipulates that an erf for a “special institutional building” should be larger than 1 500 square metres.

The proposed building is currently on an erf that measures 1 018 square metres.

The Walvis Bay town-planning scheme is silent on the establishment of rehabilitation centres. According to a council recommendation, the applicants may appeal the decision within a 21-day period in the manner set out in the Urban and Regional Planning Act of 2018.

They may also liaise with the municipality’s housing, property and town planning departments to identify alternative sites at the town.

Meanwhile, the council has allocated land to Windhoek Gymnasium private school, the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) and the International University of Management (IUM).