Date posted: April 19, 2018

Dear Neighbours,

Crime Update

It is with some relief that we are able to report a quieter month at last with regard to incidents in our area! We had a further report of trespassing on a property in Willow Rd to add to the other incidents on that date, that we mentioned in our last newsletter but little else of general concern.

Beach Status

With regard to Beach issues, we have fortunately also not had further incidents and we must now inform everyone that our contract with Fidelity/ADT, for the team that has been patrolling the beach, has now come to an end.

Although there do seem to have been some significant arrests and the patrollers have clearly had an impact, we must make it absolutely clear that we still consider remote parts of the beach and especially the area around the wreck to be very high risk areas and we urge everyone to continue to exercise due caution in this respect.

TMNP Presence

On the positive side, we have noticed increased patrolling from Table Mountain National Park rangers who seem better equipped to deal with the problem since our earlier concerns were made public and who have also made arrests.

Beach Security Plan

We are delighted to be able to report that, under the stewardship of a few, highly capable volunteers, there is good progress towards hatching a more comprehensive sustainable Beach Security Plan which will be presented in due course at the NRPA and Kommetjie equivalent forums and which will be workshopped with all the various stakeholders (SAPS, SANParks, City, Fidelity, ADT, neighbourhood watches, etc) that have been involved to date.

A draft plan will be presented as soon as possible so that everyone can understand the need for a layered approach and offer assistance where and when necessary and we will keep you updated on this as it unfolds.

Community Centre

News with regard to the Community Centre is that we have now signed an MOU with Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) that will finally see the completion of the building as well as its use on a regular basis, by VWS as a standby facility and for storage of their vehicles and equipment. In terms of the agreement, VWS will have the use of a meeting room and facilities as well as space for vehicles and equipment and in return has taken responsibility for the refurbishment of the bathrooms and the two large end rooms, which as a hall with movable dividing walls so it can be divided into meeting rooms, as well as sliding door access to the braai area.

We are delighted that this agreement has gone ahead as it not only provides support for another important community-based organisation, in keeping with the City’s desires for the use of the Centre, but is also the final step in guaranteeing that this centre will in fact become a well-utilised community asset rather than the dilapidated white elephant it had become.

Additionally, to complement our own Volunteer Fire Unit, we will now have a second, larger firefighting unit in our back yard during fire season and I am sure many will rest better for knowing that!

Plein Air Festival

We are most grateful to Roger Melvill and Andrew Hart for putting together the recent Noordhoek Plein Air Festival on Saturday 7 April which saw artists positioned all over our neighbourhood capturing the beautiful scenes.

These were then placed on auction later in the day, with significant funds raised in support of cameras and communication equipment, particularly aimed at improved monitoring of greenbelts in the Dascro area. This was a lovely community event, which really spoke to the growing community spirit in Noordhoek!

Radio Checks

We did notice that the radios had been worryingly quiet so we were glad at the response to a recent reminder to do a radio check… Please try to do one at least once per month (during civilised hours of course) and to switch it on, on 8 (and not in the charger) at night.

Nobody is being asked to play the hero but if even 100 houses light up in response to an alarm call, that sends out a hugely powerful message!

Wishing you a safe, peaceful and wet month!

CPNW Committee