Mount Pleasant villagers want the cluster house project supported by the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) and the government at stand 605 Lot 1 of Sumbem, the intersection of Pendennis Road and Twickenham Drive, to be halted since the area is a wetland.
Residents objected to the destruction of the wetland in an objection notice dated March 8, 2022, written to the City of Harare and Harare Pendennis Road and Twickenham Drive Tafadzwa Muguti.
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The letter stated that there have been numerous objections to the change of land use and development of cluster housing on this stand in the past, and this letter confirms that the residents of Mount Pleasant, Vainona, and surrounding suburbs object to the change of land use from open space and recreation to development of cluster housing, as well as the development of cluster housing on this land.
They urged for conservation of the city’s surviving wetlands in the face of a climate change problem and a water deficit.
Concerns over the Cluster House Project
Residents claimed that a huge cluster development would depress property prices in the region, harming current residents. Celestino Chari, programming manager at the Harare Wetlands Trust, stated that local authorities must take people’s reservations into account.
He also remarked that the consultation process should be revisited to ensure that it matches contemporary demands adding that newspaper advertisements are no longer successful and that the Regional, Town, and Country Planning Act has to be amended.
The stand-in question is on the Borrowdale vlei, which drains into the Gwebi River, which goes into Lake Manyame. The developers of the stand informed locals of their plan to create the cluster apartments last year. There have been repeated demands to stop constructing properties on wetlands, with relevant officials being held accountable for allocating stands in protected regions for selfish reasons.
