By Rochelle de Kock

Neighbours of businessman Mauro Nettl are up in arms over his proposed plan to develop a boutique hotel, restaurant and conference centre in the residential area of Water Road, Walmer.

While the site 21 Water Road is on the corner of Sixth Avenue, neighbours said the development would cause chaos by increasing traffic flow in Water Road and put further pressure on the already faltering plumbing and sewerage system in the area.

Resident Bill Allchurch, who was one of the many objectors to Nettl’s proposed development when he advertised his plans more than a year ago, said he could not see how the scale of the business would be viable on the site.

“The scale of the business is out of proportion to the size of the site. How will it still be able to accommodate all the parking that is required?

“We can’t hold back on change, and if it was a bed-and-breakfast coming up I wouldn’t have a problem, but the scale of the business is just going to cause too much chaos in the street.

“I’m really worried about the traffic congestion. If the entrance to the business was through Sixth Avenue and he (Nettl) was able to provide enough parking I would be fine with it, but the physical aspect precludes the traffic from entering through Sixth because the steep incline doesn’t allow for that.”

He said referring to ANC councillors who overthrew several recommendations to refuse businesses in residential areas that they should amend the policies first before going against them.

“The plumbing and sewerage in Walmer is already a major problem, so how will the system handle a boutique hotel with 20 bathrooms? The system was originally designed to handle one toilet per house,” Allchurch said.

Another resident, Greg Upton, said he had bought his family home in Water Road because he and his wife wanted to raise their children in a quiet neighbourhood.

“We bought the place so that the kids could ride around on their bikes in the street, and we specifically looked for a quiet area with very few cars passing through.

“I don’t want to stand in the way of progress, but when is the development going to end?

If Mauro gets the go-ahead, how can we refuse anyone else who wants to develop businesses in the street?

We are a street away from the chaos in Main Road, so we’re already feeling the pressure of it feeding into our road.

It would be nice if we could protect some areas. What about our personal needs? We just want a quiet neighbourhood for our kids,” Upton said.

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said he was concerned that Nettl would eventually turn the establishment into a nightclub.

“There’s absolutely not enough parking to handle a development of this size. In my opinion he (Nettl) probably just wants a licence for a boutique hotel so he can open his restaurant to the public, and with a guest house he can’t open up his space to the public,” the source said.

However, the residents did not object to the new restaurant Wickerwoods, which is directly opposite Nettl’s house.

Nettl’s application, which was brought before the council on Tuesday, was the subject of much debate as a number of ANC councillors were in favour of the development, despite its being in contravention of the Walmer Policy Plan.

The application was eventually deferred for a site inspection.

Nettl, who lost his glamorous beachfront restaurant Casa Bianca due to bad debt about two months ago, said he had financial backing to build the elite establishment, but declined to divulge any further details about who the investors were.

“I applied two years ago to build the boutique hotel; I don’t want a guest house. I want to be able to serve outsiders, not only guests in a guest house.

“I won’t be building a big hotel; everything will be on a small scale. Even the conference facility will be small.

The restaurant will be a 40-seater,” said a frustrated Nettl, who had hoped to be up and running in time for the Soccer World Cup next year.

He said he could not understand why anyone would have a problem with the establishment because Sixth Avenue Walmer was already bustling with businesses and there was a restaurant directly opposite his house.

“My yard is 2500m², so there’s more than enough space for the guests, even if the council approves a maximum of 12 guests only; I’ll be happy with that.

“What I’m really adamant about is that we should have a boutique hotel and not a guest house,” Nettl said.

Source: The Herald