Overstrand Municipality is reminding residents that there is just over a week left for comments on its draft Budget and the draft Integrated Development Plan (IDP) Review for the 2023/24 financial year.

Comments on the proposals must be submitted by 5 May 2023.

The documents are available at the municipal offices and libraries, or download it from municipal website, www.overstrand.gov.za (go to Documents, click on Strategic Documents and choose relevant document).

The follow-up public meeting on the Hermanus Country Market will be held on 3 May 2023 at 16:00 in the Municipal Auditorium at the Overstrand head office in Hermanus.

The Hermanus Country Market has been given permission to trade from this long weekend till the end of May 2023.

This decision was taken having due regard for the good faith shown by the Hermanus Country Market within the last week. The Hermanus Country Market has removed the structures on municipal land adjacent to Generation School and have started earnest negotiations to submit formal applications and a draft sub-lease.

Overstrand Municipality will allow businesses in Hermanus High Street and Harbour Road to extend their trading on to the pavements adjacent to their businesses on Saturday, 29 April 2023.

This is an effort to test the Mayor’s policy of increased pedestrianisation as well as the informal trading policy currently considered for implementation.

The intention is to assist commerce to maximise on the long weekend’s trading potential and recover some of the losses incurred during the past two years. 

Business owners in High Street and Harbour Road can invite complementary businesses to share their pavement. 

Overstrand Municipality successfully burned 80 hectares of Blesberg Mountain in Betty’s Bay on 4 April 2023. In addition to restore and improve the ecological biodiversity of an area, controlled burns are one of the most practical ways to reduce the build-up of combustible fuels.

While the active phase of the prescribed burn was completed on Tuesday evening, mop-up operations and monitoring continued through Friday morning when it started to rain.