Pressures in Open Space

PRESSURES
IN OPEN SPACE

The open spaces in Greater Johannesburg take two forms, namely unmaintained land (in the form of mining areas, buffer zones, etc), and maintained land (in the form of recreational open space, parks, golf courses, etc.), as well as many more sub-groups. Urbanisation pressures and urban development places pressure on all open space.

Illegal dumping and inadequate management of open spaces diminishes their environmental value and potential, especially in the south. Mining activities also limits the available land for open space.

Due to past planning policies and the creation of buffer zones, there are several open spaces between the built up areas of the metropolitan area. Some of these are maintained as conservation areas, while others have been left as derelict open space. Unmaintained open space, usually becomes the sites of illegal squatting or crime.

The open space standard in the WMLC is 6000m²/1000 people. Regulation 43 of the Town Planning and Townships Ordinance of 1986 requires 24m²/person for low-density development (land zoned Residential 1 and 2), and 18m²/person for high-density residential development (land zoned Residential 3, 4 and 5) (WMLC: LDO, 1997).

The current open space standard for Sandton is 3,9ha/1000 people. If no additional open space is acquired, the standard will drop to 2,1ha/1000 people. An ideal figure is estimated at 4ha/1000 people (Sandton Town Council, 1992).

Open space standards and criteria set out below by the Metropolitan Open Space (MOS) study according to the MOS categories.

MOS CATEGORY	SIZE (ha)	CATCHMENT km/POPULATION	OTHER CRITERIA
Sub-regional sports facility	20-40
Sub-regional conservation area	20 absolute minimum
Sub-regional landscaped park	20 absolute minimum
Multi-functional regional park	100+
River trails			100m width mimimum
Regional parks	10 minimum	5km
Total regional space			6-8ha/1000 population
Regional/metropolitan park	80+	Several communities/ 1 hour driving time	2-4ha/1000 population
Regional park reserve	400+	Several communities/ 1 hour driving time
Unique space that may be local or regional	Not available	Not available	Variable
Urban regional park	40+	On a city-wide or regional scale	1,46ha/1000 population
Regional park	15-40+	11-70km/1 hour driving time	0,5-0,8ha/1000

The next table shows the categories and definitions of all open space in Gauteng (Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, 1999). This is an interim categorisation and is subject to change in the future.

NO	CATEGORIES	DEFINITIONS	DECISION MAKING PARAMETERS
1	Nature reserves	Areas being managed for conservation of natural environments unique to an area and on a regional level	All nature reserves are provincially important open spaces. Environmental scoping is required.
2	Areas of conservation value	Areas with conservation value being managed for the protection of areas such as natural heritage sites particularly in, but not restricted to, urban areas	All conservation areas are provincially significant. Development not recommended. Environmental scoping required for all adjacent areas.
3	Water bodies and wetlands	Rivers, streams, lakes, dams, pans Areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water (permanent, natural, artificial, temporary, fresh, brackish, salt, marine)	Controlled utilisation. Most of these areas are provincially important. Environmental scoping required.
4	Ridgelines	Mountains or hilltops with a continuous character, serving as a watershed, and koppies with no continuous character	Ridgelines form part of the provincially important open space. Environmental scoping required.
5	Special features	Specific locations where unique features should be preserved, archaeological sites. Endangered species habitat, significant vegetation, botanical gardens.	Controlled utilisation. Environmental scoping required.
6	Areas prone to flooding	All areas below the 1:100 year flood line	Controlled utilisation. Some areas may be of provincial importance. Environmental scoping below the floodline.
7	Recreation/Sports facilities	Municipal, university, school and community services, golf courses, race tracks, soccer and rugby stadiums.	Controlled utilisation. Some areas may be of provincial importance. Environmental scoping in areas with unique environmental features.
8	Cultivated land	Rural farm land zoned for agricultural activity.	Some areas may be of provincial importance. Environmental scoping in areas with special environmental features.
9	Monuments/ government buildings	Buildings or memorials conserving the memory of persons or events as cultural heritage, and municipal offices.	Controlled utilisation. All areas of provincial value. Environmental scoping if land is wanted for development.
10	Rural open space	Unutilised land not zoned for agriculture, excluding regional nature reserves.	Usually not important as provincial open space. Scoping needed.
11	Easements and servitudes	Municipal land zoned for services including servitudes and major road corridors.	Controlled utilisation. Assess value of areas for possible inclusion with habitat linkages and corridors.
12	Institutional enclosures	Sites such as military grounds, testing grounds, airports, service yards.	Large air fields could be important habitat areas. Presumably structures exist in these land parcels. Scoping for expansion into areas of environmental importance.
13	Unutilised land	Unutilised land in an urban setting.	Some areas may be important as provincial open space. Environmental scoping required.
14	Cemeteries	Burial grounds (private or public)	Not provincially significant. Controlled utilisation. Take cognisance of potential contamination of groundwater around sites and in previously disadvantaged areas.
15	Degraded land	Landfill sites, toxic, contaminated areas and sinkholes to be rehabilitated before further use, and worked out or closed down mining belts	Could be important as habitats and for green areas; not to be utilised by humans for recreation. Environmental scoping needed.
16	Private open space	Security villages, office parks, places of worship. Current mining areas.	Environmental scoping exercise required for those areas with wetlands, streams, rivers, ridges, other unique environmental features and special features.

As many areas as possible which are of natural and scenic value, should be included in a Metropolitan Open Space System (MOSS) and be clearly recognised as "no-go" areas for development. Principles rather than standards should inform the development of a MOSS. Various principles exist which can be applied for achieving the various objectives of such a system:
* integration, linkage and continuity of the system;
* a hierarchy of space;
* appropriate levels of public accessibility in-keeping with plans for its use;
* using a MOSS as a means to contain and manage city growth;
* the need to conserve resources, scenery and biodiversity; and
* use of a MOSS to provide for complimentary land-uses (SMLC, 1997).

REFERENCES

Department of Agriculture 1999:

Sandton Town Council 1992: An Open Space Plan for Sandton. Parks, Recreation and Conservation Division: Sandton.

SMLC 1997: Environmental Fact Sheet #4: Natural areas.

WMLC 1997: Land Development Objective.WMLC: Roodepoort.

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