Johannesburg Commune Policy - Highlights of the 2 June 09 meeting

At the meeting of 2 June, the COJ presented their new draft commune policy proposal.

Highlights of the policy are;

• Consent use application to conduct a boarding house.
• In all likelihood the amount of tenants per property will relate to an equation where a single room needs to be a minimum size of 7sqm and a double room 14sqm - certain members have made arguments to cap the amount of students to 10 per property but this seems unfeasible as a blanket rule for all types of properties and a heavily debated topic.
• Building rules to be adhered to.
• 1 parking bay per tenant - can be relaxed depending on proximity to the BRT and University.
• Caretaker or manager must reside on the property.
• A3 signage on the outside of the property indicating caretaker tel number.
• A maximum of 4 people per bathroom.
• Health permit required with bi-annual inspections.
• University to compile a handbook educating students about neighborhood relations and community living in the suburbs.

High density development areas have been identified - mostly found on the arterial routes around the university. High density would entail 250 dwelling units per hectare.

Student representatives have asked the council to step up police visibility in the affected areas.