On the racetrack, Ralf Schumacher was an expert at cutting corners. In Cape Town, he is accused of doing the same with a proposed upmarket property development in Constantia.
Schumacher, 46, younger brother of seven-time world champion Formula One driver Michael, is co-owner of Constantia-based Schumacher Real Estate, which last year bought a R20m chunk of property adjoining a popular greenbelt.
Now his plans to develop the site have angered residents who insist most of it is public open space — and that the German appears to have lost his way with the law.
The property bordering the Pagasvlei stream, popular with runners and dog-walkers, was fenced off last month.
But Schumacher this week insisted he is legally entitled to develop the 2ha plot, which adjoins the Villa Coloniale boutique hotel he owns with a South African partner.
The six-time F1 grand prix winner told the Sunday Times he was surprised by the “aggression” of some neighbours.
“Yes, there will be a development, but how much we don’t know. It is all open for public comment. It is nothing to be concerned about.”
He said the fence was to prevent unlawful occupation of five existing buildings, some of which the previous owner rented out. As an interim measure he hoped to accommodate animals on the site, possibly ostriches.
The development would be in keeping with the residential area, Schumacher said. “It is a beautiful piece of land. I do not have an interest at all to make a 10-storey. It will be nice. If the neighbours have any concerns maybe they can buy some of it.”
Neighbours are more likely to spend their money challenging the development, judging by their comments during a visit to the property earlier this week.
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“It changes the whole character of what this place is,” said Richard Fienberg, whose home adjoins the site. “There has also been no attempt to engage residents about this.”
Signs bearing the Schumacher Real Estate crest are fixed to the new fence, which has forced walkers to use a much narrower path beside the river.
Another neighbour said a contractor hired by Schumacher Real Estate had bolted the new access gate to his perimeter wall without notifying him.
Two others raised concerns about further densification of Constantia’s dwindling greenbelt corridors that are home to a range of endangered species, such as the western leopard toad.
“None of us is against development, but this is completely out of step with other homes in the area, which are mostly single-storey,” said another neighbour, Angie Montandon. She described the Schumacher proposal as “an elite playground for the rich coming in from overseas”.
However, the residents’ key concern relates to the public-open-space zoning of two-thirds of the Schumacher land, a zoning rejected by the former racing driver as an error.
• 19,610m²: The development footprint
• 10m: The proposed roof height
— IN NUMBERS
Historical documents attached to the erf and the proposed development confirm the zoning, which the developers would need to amend if they continue with plans for 13 double-storey homes and a clubhouse. As it stands the building footprint would cover 88% of the property.
The Constantia Ratepayers’ and Residents Association said it had made comments on a heritage report submitted on behalf of the owners ahead of the planning application process.
The association declined to support the heritage application on the grounds that the site had environmental and cultural value, and that any development would need a full environmental impact assessment.
Tommy Brümmer, a town planner involved in the matter, said research suggested the public-open-space zoning on most of the land was “no mistake”, evidenced by the fact that a previous owner had tried — and failed — to amend it.
There were other examples of public open space in private hands that could not be developed, Brümmer said.
“There is no reason for me to believe that there has been any error,” he said, adding that the owners would need to approach the City of Cape Town for rezoning.
“They [the municipal planning tribunal] are very careful in their decision-making. They do refuse quite a number of applications. They are very thorough. It would be a very interesting decision,” he said.
Neighbour Will Walter said the previous owner tried to develop the site, albeit on a smaller scale. “At that time they were talking about five or six properties,” he said.
Schumacher said he understood the reaction of residents who would no longer have access to the site. “They were used to walking their dogs on it, and that is not possible any more. This land was for sale for a long time. I don’t understand why nobody else bought it,” he said.
Eddie Andrews, the Cape Town mayoral committee member for spatial planning & environment, said the open space zoning could have been for conservation purposes “and not necessarily to allow the public access”.
He said there was no evidence that the zoning status was a mistake and confirmed that the previous owner had been advised to apply for a rezoning, not for a zoning “correction”. “The file was closed at that point in time as no further information was forthcoming,” Andrews said.
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