Last year, residents participated in the City’s online survey to help shape the long-term vision for the Miller’s Point coastal conservancy that is located along the False Bay coastline, a few kilometres south of Simon’s Town. Now, we are calling on those who are knowledgeable about the heritage of Miller’s Point and have information about the historic buildings at the site, to share their stories and any photos they may have with the City’s project management team.
Miller’s Point is a 300m wide strip of land that forms a transition zone between the declared Unesco World Heritage site of Table Mountain National Park and the Table Mountain Marine Protected Area. It is a key entry point to the ‘Great African Seaforest’ and is host to shell middens that offer insight into our indigenous history.
The City of Cape Town’s Coastal Management branch is busy developing a long-term vision for Miller’s Point, which has a popular tidal pool, campsite and beach, and public launch site for vessels. The intention is to propose improvements that can be implemented over time to revitalise and conserve this coastal asset that is also of great ecological and historical importance.
Apart from addressing the deteriorating infrastructure, including outdated amenities, eroded pathways, and inadequate visitor facilities, the City also intends to restore the historic buildings, most of which are located in close proximity to the Black Marlin restaurant.
City officials are now busy gathering as much information as possible about the landscape, heritage, and historic buildings, many of which played a significant role in shaping the site’s identity over many decades. The City is interested to find out what the buildings looked like originally, and what these were used for. Part of this fact-finding mission is to document residents’ memories of Miller’s Point to broaden our collective understanding of its heritage value.
‘We are calling on those who have old photos of the historic buildings at Miller’s Point to please contact us. We want to get an idea of how these buildings can be restored to resemble the original structures as far as possible. We also want to ensure that any improvements we make are respectful of the site’s heritage. Residents, former City employees, historians, and visitors with information are encouraged to contact us and help us put the puzzle together. We also want to document residents’ memories of Miller’s Point. Please come forward and tell us your stories,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
• Those with information and photos or other material can contact Ancunel Steyn at Ancuncel.Steyn@capetown.gov.za .
The revitalisation of Miller’s Point will focus on repairing existing infrastructure, addressing universal access, and conserving the heritage, biodiversity, and local character of Miller’s Point. The project is now in the planning phase, which includes further analysis, research, and investigations.
