Proposed redevelopment of the Westlake Conservation Centre

PROPOSED REDEVELOPMENT OF THE WESTLAKE CONSERVATION CENTRE

The City of Cape Town proposes the development of new offices, restoration works and supporting infrastructure for the Biodiversity Management Branch at the Westlake Conservation Centre, Erf 12534, on Steenberg Road and Ou Kaapse Weg, Cape Town. The Westlake Conservation Centre hosts the offices for the Biodiversity Management Branch, which manages the City's nature reserves.

SITE DESCRIPTION

The Westlake Conservation Centre site is approximately 22 ha in extent and is located on erf 12534 in Tokai, Cape Town, which is currently zoned as Public Open Space. The site falls within ward 71 of Sub-council 20 of the City of Cape Town and is flanked to the west and south by the Table Mountain National Park, Steenberg Estate to the north and Westlake residential area to the east. Undeveloped parts of the site support remnant Peninsula Granite Fynbos and Cape Flats Sand Fynbos.  Watercourses on the site include wetlands and streams which are to are to be targeted for various rehabilitation interventions to improve wetland habitat and connectivity.

PROJECT PROPOSAL

The proposal includes the redevelopment of the Westlake Conservation Centre buildings and associated infrastructure, largely within the development footprint of existing hard infrastructure on the site and to improve the functionality and capacity of the site for its existing uses. Additionally, the proposal includes the rehabilitation of wetland habitat on site including stream diversion and the establishment of new wetland habitat by promoting lateral flows and increased surface water retention on site.

A 30-day commenting period of the draft Basic Assessment Report (BAR) commenced on Thursday 07 August and closed on Monday 08 September 2025. Comments received during this period were addressed and responded to where appropriate in the final BAR.

NOTIFICATION OF SUBMISSION

Notice is hereby given in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998), as amended and the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations of 2014, as amended, of the submission of the Final BAR for decision-making by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP).

The Final BAR and associated appendices are available below for information purposes only and not for commenting purposes. 

Registered Interested and Affected Parties will be notified of the outcome of the final decision regarding the granting of Environmental Authorisation by the DEA&DP, once received. 

Reports and documentation can be accessed at the link below:

  folder 2025-10 Proposed redevelopment of the Westlake Conservation Centre

Should you have any issues accessing the relevant documents, please contact the Environmental Assessment Practitioners by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..