SWAKOPMUND – Resident, community activist and Swakopmund businesswoman, Gabi Woermann, says the decision by Swakopmund Municipality to sell off the last remaining open public parking space to developers Fiscon company is not in the best public interest.

She says council did not hold enough consultations with the public to gauge popular opinion on the piece of open land that is now earmarked for sale.

In addition, the municipality on technical grounds shot down objections raised by residents, she claimed.
The parking lot is located at Erf 266 portions A, B and C and is used by hundreds of people daily who visit the Stadtmitte complex and Brücken Platz.

It was alienated by council and sold to Fiscon Investment 24 in 2008 – whose intentions are to scrap the 115 parking bays at the site and replace them with a new development that will include a boutique, hotel, office space, shops, an arcade and underground parking enough for 300 bays. This was approved by the municipality.

It is believed that the development will become an extension of the existing ‘Stadmitte’ complex.

Speaking to New Era, Woermann said the area as the last remaining open space should be left intact – as it has in the past served a multitude of customers including clients of Woermann Brock Supermarket, Woolworths, Pick ‘n Pay and clients at Stadmitte Complex.

What irks Woermann is that despite their objections, council is refusing to hear their concerns – dismissing them on non-objectionable grounds.

Woermann and other critics of the sale claim there is no assurance that the new parking bays proposed by the developers will indeed come to fruition - and if they do, will they be free as currently is the case.

“I seriously doubt that,” said Woermann – a noted retail business figure within the family-owned Woermann Brock supermarket chain, drawing from past happenings saying that when land is alienated to developers, they do not always stick to the original conditions of sale.

“Given that those parking bays as they claim  will be underground – people will have to pay to use them,” said Woermann.

Equally, critics feel that the sale of the car park would lead to a severe shortage of parking space in the central business district (CBD), which would inevitably mean the end of free parking.

The loss of the land to a developer will lead to the closure of businesses and job losses. “Where do you want people do park when they are doing their shopping – how far will they have to carry their shopping bags if all parking that is available is on the edges of the CBD?” she queried.

Chief Executive Officer of the Swakopmund Municipality, Eckart Demasius, defended the sale.

“Council, after reacting to various complaints from the public regarding the parking on Erf 266 has called for this development – why did she not participate?” asked the CEO.

In 2008, the municipality announced it intended to rezone Erf 266 and its portions A, B and C from public open space to general business.

The public were invited to lodge objections. A number of residents and business owners objected, resulting in a delay of several years in rezoning and acquisition of land by the developer.

Those who signed the petition added their voices against the closure and disposal of the land which has been used as public parking space for the last 20 years for the convenience of those visiting the CBD.

Demasius said: “She argues that business will move out of town. I agree with that, but she is the cause to some extent as she is developing a huge shopping centre at the edge of town – it is rather ironic that Ms Woermann objects to the closure of a public open space whilst Council, at the time, is closing a public open space five times the size of erf 266 for Woermann for her new development.”

“Surely, what is good for the goose is good for the gander,” said Demasius.

“The development as proposed by Fiscon, would be to the advantage of the CBD. An upmarket hotel in front of her doorstep – how can this be detrimental to her business, also it ensures that the city centre does not run empty on account of developments on the edge of town,” stated the