*TAFELBERG SCHOOL SITE DESIGN CONCEPTS: A MOMENT OF HOPE* By *Brett Herron*, GOOD Secretary-General & Member of the Western Cape Parliament Last night, consultants for the Western Cape Government presented initial design concepts for the redevelopment of a site many of us know as the Tafelberg School site in Sea Point, although it’s now been quietly renamed “353-on-Main.” The name change might suggest a wish to move past the conflict and controversy tied to this land, a public site once earmarked for sale to private developers, despite the city’s urgent inner-city affordable housing crisis. But let’s focus on what matters most: this presentation marked a tentative, but important, moment of hope. The Western Cape Government has now shown a willingness to rethink its approach. All three design concepts presented include social housing. That’s progress. • Concept one included 63 social housing units, 71 affordable housing units and 163 high-end housing units. • Concept two increases this to 121 social housing units, 131 affordable housing units and 163 high-end housing units. • Concept three, the most ambitious, offers 122 social housing units, plus 156 affordable units and 293 high-end homes. Each concept includes green public spaces and shops along Main Road, signalling an integrated, mixed-use development. We welcome this change of heart. The commitment to include mixed-income housing and public amenities is a step toward a more inclusive city. But there’s still a way to go. We urge the Western Cape Government to use this design process to maximise the provision of social and affordable housing, in line with the real, growing demand. We also call for a transparent, inclusive process with no more u-turns or unnecessary delays. Let this moment be the start, not a pause, in Cape Town’s long-overdue journey toward spatial and social justice. Let’s get it done, and let’s get it done right.