Cape Town’s Municipal Planning Tribunal has approved a proposed six-storey hotel at 150 Buitengracht Street, a vacant lot on the interface between Bo-Kaap and Cape Town CBD.

The proposed development by Flyt Property Investment initially included nine-storeys but following an appeal by the Bo-Kaap Residents Association and other appellants, an extensive six-month engagement facilitated by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) concluded that the building should be smaller, lower, and that intrusive looking features be removed alongside several other mitigating design changes.

The revised hotel design now includes six-storeys with a front façade of three storeys onto Buitengracht Street.

A decision on parking was not part of the appeal due to the site falling within a ‘Public Transport 2’ area which does not require dedicated parking, says the Municipal Planning Tribunal, previously noting that hotel guests are more likely to use various public transport options and that on-street parking demand generally recedes in the evenings on this stretch of Buitenkant once workers leave offices in the area.

The vacant lot is located along a 70-metre strip of Buitengracht Street which is predominantly residential with four existing commercial developments of three- to five-storeys. Several nearby properties have heritage significance including the Auwal Masjid at 34 Dorp Street which is the oldest mosque and madrassah in South Africa, established in 1794.

The site is zoned for mixed-use development (MU3) which permits a hotel without requiring rezoning or departures under the Municipal Planning By-Law. While the proposed development is well below zoning limits, Municipal Planning Tribunal approval was required because the site is within the Bo-Kaap Heritage Protection Overlay Zone (HPOZ) and for a canopy over a public street.

The Municipal Planning Tribunal granted these approvals with conditions in July 2024. Appeals were heard in January 2025 by the Planning Appeals Advisory Panel (PAAP) which recommended that Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis confirm the Municipal Planning Tribunal decision.

A written memorandum of agreement (MOA) will ensure that the development will not object to or complain about any of the activities of the Auwal Masjid. It was further noted that no reports of disharmony had resulted from three hotels already within 100m of the Masjid, two of which are much larger than what is proposed on the site.