The City of Cape Town is pleased to confirm that the upgrade of the Table View beachfront will be concluded by mid-December. The contractor is now busy with the refurbishment of the ablution facilities at Dolphin Beach and Bokkombaai. Alderman Eddie Andrews, the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, visited the beachfront to see the progress made to date.
The upgrade of the Table View beachfront commenced in July 2022 and included major improvements to rehabilitate and revitalise one of the city’s prime tourist attractions along the Atlantic coastline.
The work is taking place along a stretch of 3km of coastline from Dolphin Beach in the south to Bokkombaai in the north, and entails rehabilitating the dune system, improving pedestrian access to the beach and parking, creating a new pathway along the coast, implementing sand management, and upgrading various facilities, services, and infrastructure.
‘I have visited the beachfront last week and experienced firsthand how these upgrades ensure visitors have a most pleasant experience when heading out this way, whether it is to swim and spend the day on the beach, or go for a walk along the beachfront. The new 3km long coastal walkway now extends from Marine Circle to Bokkombaai. We have restored the existing walkway, as well as the parking areas, and created new beach access paths between Marine Circle and Dolphin Beach,’ said Alderman Eddie Andrews, the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment.
Approximately half of the R86,5 million budget spent on this project has been allocated to measures to protect the coast and improve its overall resilience.
‘The rehabilitation and stabilisation of the dune system is a critical component of this project as it helps to manage wind-blown sand. It also improves the beachfront’s resilience to coastal erosion and the impact of storms and rising sea levels due to climate change. It is always more cost-effective to invest in improving the coastline’s resilience than to undertake emergency repairs or restore services after a storm,’ said Alderman Andrews.
- The overall project is now in its final phase. The remaining works include the refurbishment of the ablution facilities at Dolphin Beach and Bokkombaai, the connection of the upgraded facilities to the City’s sewer network, and the installation of a post-and-rail fence between the Bokkomsbaai parking area and Foam Street.
- Temporary ablution facilities are provided while the refurbishment is ongoing
- The project will be complete by mid-December, just before the festive season
Progress to date
- The project kicked off in July 2022 with the rehabilitation of the dunes from Dolphin Beach to Bokkombaai. This entailed the reprofiling and revegetation of the dunes with dune-specific plant species as part of the City’s investment in rehabilitating ecosystems and ecological infrastructure. The vegetated dune cordon is now in the adaptive management phase, while the City is monitoring and maintaining the stabilisation measures, including the vegetation and wind-net infrastructure. Once established, the dune corridor will provide Table View with a natural buffer against storm surges and the impacts of sea-level rise due to climate change.
- The beach access, stormwater infrastructure, and other improvements at Bokkombaai have been completed. This includes upgrades and refurbishment of the stormwater outlets and retaining structures, and White Waters parking area.
- The new parking area opposite Visagie Street is complete, as well as the refurbishment and upgrading of parking areas along Beach Boulevard and Otto du Plessis Drive between Marine Circle and Perlemoen Street.
- The new 3km long coastal walkway that extends from Marine Circle to Bokkombaai is also complete, as well as the restoration of the existing walkway and new beach access paths between Marine Circle and Dolphin Beach.
‘Table View beach gives us an iconic view of Table Mountain in the distance, it is a favourite kite-surfing spot in summer months, and extremely popular among locals and visitors from all walks of life. We are very close to the end of this project and by December, we will enjoy the full complement of upgrades,’ said Alderman Andrews.
