Enterprises University of Pretoria (Enterprises UP) recently hosted various property developers, executives and city councillors at a business breakfast and information session in the Enterprise Building in Pretoria. The session was held to discuss the newly proposed property development and land use by-laws implemented by the City of Tshwane.

Dr Johnny Coetzee from the Department of Town and Regional Planning (UP), and Ms Nicolene le Roux, Director of Development Compliance (Planning and Development) from the City of Tshwane, presented a full update on the by-laws and how the guests’ businesses would be affected by the changes.

Ms Le Roux was instrumental in developing the by-laws that support the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) 16 of 2013, which resulted in the City of Tshwane being the first metropolitan city in Gauteng to promulgate the SPLUMA by-laws on 3 March 2016.

The information session also included a review of the skills requirements in property development following these changes, and how developers can benefit from upskilling and receiving the latest industry insights in terms of proposed planning and development initiatives in the city.

Town and regional planning is currently regarded as having the potential to play a pivotal role in resolving spatial and other imbalances in both urban and rural areas, as it underpins the challenges of planning and takes into account the fact that different interests and expectations for future developments are often disposed to contradictions and other possible conflicts.

A professional approach that combines sensitivity, and analytical and strategic skills is therefore often required to handle the various political, social, spatial, environmental and economic issues at stake when tackling the improvement of inefficient and underperforming living environments.

For more information on the wide variety of training and research solutions offered by Enterprises UP, visit www.enterprises.up.ac.za.