Harfield Village Heritage



Harfield Village’s special zoning provisions

In 2002, the special heritage value of Harfield Village was recognized by the City of Cape Town which designated it as a "special area" in terms of section 14 of the then applicable zoning scheme regulations. This required certain design guidelines to be met.

Recently the City of Cape Town’s zoning scheme regulations were substantially overhauled and new provisions became operative in March 2013. In terms hereof, Harfield Village falls in a “local area overlay zone”, demarcated in Plan LAO/2 in the regulations, which means that the area  is subject to the provisions we list below.

But before looking at the provisions, do take note of these definitions that are specifically made applicable:
  • 'dormer’ means an upright window under a gable, built out from a sloping roof;
  • ‘facade’ means a main containing wall of a building, other than a wall of an internal courtyard;
  • ‘street boundary wall or fence’ means any structure erected on or near a street boundary for the purposes of defining such boundary, but shall exclude planting such as a hedge along the boundary or on the structure concerned, or an outbuilding.

The relevant provisions then stipulate, with regard to Harfield Village, that:
  • The maximum height of a building, measured from base level to the wall plate, shall be 6 m, and to the top of the roof shall be 8 m.
  • All roofs in new developments shall be double-pitched, with slopes of between 35o and 42o .
  • No point on any building may be erected nearer than 1 m to any street boundary.
  • The common boundary setbacks specified in the zoning scheme shall apply to all dwelling houses, second dwellings, group housing, blocks of flats, residential buildings, or outbuildings to any of the foregoing.
  • The coverage provisions of the zoning scheme shall apply to all dwelling houses, second dwellings, group housing and blocks of flats or outbuildings on any site smaller than 350 m². Permitted coverage on sites greater than 350 m² in extent for all of the above buildings shall be 65%.
  • Any proposed parking or garaging areas and the access thereto shall be shown on building plans submitted to Council, which shall have the right to approve or refuse such plans. These parking and garaging areas shall:
(i) not be located forward of the front facade of the main dwelling on a land unit;
(ii) be subsidiary to the main dwelling, with frontages not exceeding 3 m in width;
(iii) have a height not exceeding 3,3 m or the eaves line of the main building, whichever is the lowest; and 
(iv) no double garage doors shall be permitted.
  • No person shall erect any street boundary wall or fence without the prior approval of Council, and such street boundary wall or fence shall be in accordance with the following provisions:

    (i) the height of a visually impermeable street boundary wall or fence, including a solid masonry wall, shall not exceed 1,5 m;
    (ii) masonry piers, or visually permeable wooden slats, railings or similar structures, shall not exceed 2,1 m in height, provided that Council shall have the right to demand a height of less than 2,1 m where, in the opinion of Council, such lesser height is required for reasons of aesthetics, safety or the public good;
    (iii) for the purposes of (i) and (ii) above, the height of such street boundary wall or fence shall be measured from the level of the footway immediately adjacent to such wall or fence
  • No person shall fell, uproot or cause to destroy a mature tree or hedge without the prior approval of Council.

To view the zoning maps and provisions, visit the City of Cape Town  website and download the regulations and maps provided under the header ‘Zoning Scheme’.