Table View beachfront upgrade resumes after delays

The City of Cape Town has restarted its significant initiative to restore and enhance the Table View beachfront, which is one of the city’s key tourist destinations along the Atlantic coast. In line with the City’s project recovery strategy, construction on the new walkway, parking facilities, and infrastructure renovations has officially begun again.

The civil works component of the project, which includes the construction of coastal walkways, new and refurbished ablution facilities and upgrades to parking areas, encountered significant delays last year.

This upgrade project spans a 3km stretch of the coastline from Dolphin Beach in the south to Bokkomsbaai in the north.

Eddie Andrews, the City’s deputy mayor and mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, said unfortunately the contractor’s performance did not meet expectations, which led to the termination of the contract in November.

“The City is committed to enhancing this popular public space and can assure residents that the project is now moving forward with a renewed focus to ensure timely completion.”

Mr Andrews thanked residents, businesses in the surrounding area and visitors for their patience and support. He said the City understands the frustration caused by the delays. “With reliable contractors now in place and clear timelines established, we are confident that the project is firmly back on track to completion.

“The public should begin to see significant progress on the various sites this month. The work will be visible, and every effort is being made to complete the work efficiently. Your continued understanding is valued as we work to deliver a revitalised space that will benefit the entire community,” added Mr Andrews.

Mr Andrews said the rehabilitation of the dune cordon along the beachfront was completed in June last year and the City is now in the adaptive management phase to ensure the dunes remain effectively stabilised. This includes ongoing efforts to maintain wind nets and vegetation until it is in a balanced state.

He said a project recovery plan has been drawn up by the City's Coastal Management Branch and new contractors were appointed in March this year to proceed. This strategy calls for reorganising the project to guarantee that the remaining tasks are completed more quickly and effectively.

The works have been divided into manageable packages to include:

• Beach access, fencing, stormwater Infrastructure, and the Bokkomsbaai parking area (repairs/refurbishment of all beach access points and staircases; repairs/refurbishment of the existing timber fencing along the beachfront; refurbishment of stormwater outlets and retaining structures; completion of the remaining civil works at the Bokkomsbaai parking area)

• Parking areas and walkways (construction of a new parking area opposite Visagie Street; construction and refurbishment of parking areas along Beach Boulevard; modification and refurbishment of parking areas along Otto du Plessis Drive between Marine Circle and Perlemoen Street; construction of a new 2km, 4m-wide, walkway along the beachfront, stretching from Marine Circle to Perlemoen Street; restoration of the existing walkway from Marine Circle to Dolphin Beach)

• Ablution facilities (construction of a new ablution facility between Shell and Seal roads; renovation of the old tourism office to house a second ablution facility south of Marine Circle; refurbishment of the Bokkomsbaai ablution facility)

“Construction planning, authorisations, and site preparations have started recently in the Bokkomsbaai parking area and work at the new parking area at the intersection of Marine Drive and Visagie Street is to start soon,” said Mr Andrews.

Construction in these specific areas is scheduled to be completed by July this year, while the overall construction is expected to be completed by November next year. Most of the invasive civil-related construction work which would likely cause the largest disruption, is anticipated to conclude by April next year.

Mr Andrews said the public will still have access to the beach while construction progresses. However, areas under construction will be closed off for safety, with the necessary pedestrian or vehicle traffic diversions implemented. To minimise disruption, the project will be carried out in phases, with efforts made to reduce the impact on residents and visitors as much as possible. 

The public is reminded to keep dogs on a lead, to adhere to the signage on site (including construction signage) and to only access the beach via designated access pathways.