Since launching on 31 July 2017, Beaconvale Improvement District (BVID) has brought a “quick and obvious” turnaround to an industrial area that “was not in a great state at all”.

So says Chairperson Sean Lavery in an overview of the BVID’s first four months of operations.

“One of our biggest challenges was the fact that there was a lot of work to do. It took quite a few weeks for the guys to make inroads. But the upside of that is, the change was apparent very quickly. You could see the difference,” he explains.

Measures that have been put into place in the area include:

• The appointment of safety officers in partnership with Zonewatch Security
• The appointment of cleaning teams
• Improvement of lighting

According to Lavery all the teams have been performing above and beyond the initial expectations.

“The safety officers have, for instance, been walking people who work in the area and commute by train from the station in the morning and back again in the evening. Just being able to make people feel safe in their working environment is a big achievement on its own.”

With the year now drawing to a close, Lavery and team hope to build on this with the majority of the year’s R3.6million budget being pushed toward further enhancing safety services – investing in additional patrol vehicles and officers – as well as cleaning.

“We are also hoping to put some money aside for other projects, such as installing CCTV cameras throughout the area and erecting a fence on the corner of Van Riebeeck Street and Fransie van Zyl to improve the safety of workers walking to and from work.”

These official improvements have also had a positive knock-on effect among businesses, as the visible care being taken of the area encourages others to take more responsibility of their own.

While it’s still early days, Lavery believes that Beaconvale’s businesses are satisfied with their investment and that they can look forward to many more improvements over the coming months and years.

Ultimately, the BVID hopes to attain the following goals:

• Reduce crime significantly by proactive visible patrolling and cooperation, along with existing SAPS and City of Cape Town Law Enforcement, as well as other security service providers in the area
• Create a safe and clean public environment
• Manage existing and new public infrastructure
• Protect property values
• Attract new investment
• Support the promotion of the BVID industrial area as a safe and clean environment by promoting greening, energy efficiency, recycling and risk/disaster management
• Support and promote social responsibility in the area

 

“It has been a privilege dealing with Gene and Geocentric in getting the Beaconvale CID set up. He has assisted and guided the steering committee throughout the process and continuously delivered on time,” Lavery concludes.