Vision 2040

Vision

PRINGLE BAY VILLAGE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK: 2040 and beyond

In brief: a quick summary

The PBRA recognised the need for a vision driven, longer-term, Strategic Framework for Pringle Bay to produce a plan which will guide decision-making in the village into the future. This will enable knowledgeable interaction with the formal planning processes of the Overstrand Municipality and other stakeholders as and when required.

The PBRA chose to follow an open and consultative approach in the development of the Framework, making use of independent professionals at the outset to produce a first draft whilst communicating broadly on the matter. This will be followed by more intense consultation with stakeholders with the aim of achieving sufficient consensus on the framework for adoption by the AGM at the end of 2023.

Progress is good and will be reported on regularly on this forum. Service providers were appointed in February 2023 and the initial development process is in full swing with a view to have a draft document by August, leaving ample time for consultation and refinement before the end of the year when the framework is to be formally adopted by the PBRA.

Background

A vision driven, longer-term, Strategic Framework for Pringle Bay is considered as an important need by the PBRA. The idea is to produce a plan which will guide decision-making in the village into the future and enable knowledgeable interaction with the formal planning processes of the Overstrand Municipality and other stakeholders as and when required. In this manner the framework, although not having any legal standing, will be used to steer the decision-making around Pringle Bay in a desirable direction.

Although the heritage of PB goes back millennia, the centenary of the formal declaration of PB as a settlement will occur around the year 2040. This 2040 year has been selected as a useful date to use as a focal point for the strategy whilst not negating the understanding that Pringle Bay is much older than that. By focusing on 2040 we are forced to lift our heads and look at what lies beyond today and tomorrow. We need to determine what would be good for PB, not only for this generation, the current residents and property owners, but also for generations to come.

Developing a strategic framework will assist us to think through the options available to Pringle Bay for its development over the next few decades. What would we like Pringle Bay to be in the future? This question has been raised by residents at our AGM’s. What are our unique attributes relative to other towns in Overstrand? How do we capitalize on our position in the Transition Zone of the Kogelberg Biosphere? How should we design Pringle Bay to be a unique and sustainable village in Overstrand into the future?

Many forces are at work, influencing the future development of Pringle Bay. Societal changes such as the changing role of government, the pressure for economic development in the surrounding area, the increased role of tourism (domestic and international) in Pringle Bay and its impact on our businesses, the trend for households to relocate to smaller towns and take up remote working. The latter is clearly visible in Pringle Bay with an influence on the demographic make-up of the population and the functioning of the town.

Pringle Bay and the PBRA need to respond to these forces in a sensitive manner while recognizing the desire of many to preserve the unique lifestyle of Pringle Bay as it is today. Working out a strategic framework will assist in clarifying these issues and finding a balanced view in all the uncertainty.

Primary Objectives of the Initiative

To devise a vision driven framework for PB which enables the PBRA to proactively inform and constructively respond to current and future economic and other development and conservation initiatives as they may occur.
To develop an insight into societal and other relevant trends and changes as they may impact PB.
To better integrate the status of PB as a conservancy village and part of the broader Kogelberg area, into the Vision for PB. Also, to acknowledge the work of Cape Nature, Kogelberg Biosphere, UNICEF, WWF and OLM and their impact on PB
To develop a compelling PB story – weaving together the vision and key aspects of the PB framework
To have as an outcome a document with a clear vision and one which outlines the desired framework and the parameters within which PB is to be steered and managed, including the natural, social, and physical environment, and interaction with authorities into the future.

Process and Consultation

The project is being managed by a Steering Committee (SC) under the leadership of the PBRA. The SC, comprising PBRA and other community members, not only guides the service providers in their work, but also ensures that the PB community is heard in the process. The SC, which meets regularly, will also drive the formal public participation process once the initial work has been completed.

The PBRA elected to be supported in the development process by professional service providers, to ensure independence and lack of vested interest, whilst also consulting with the community in an inclusive manner, to build consensus around the eventual selected Strategic Framework. As this work is important, the PBRA will fund the work up to a reasonable amount out of reserves.

Phase I of the process is for the PBRA to deliver a base Strategic Framework in the form of a discussion document, to be completed by mid-2023.

Phase II of the process will consist of consultation on the draft Strategic Framework with the community (property owners, business owners, residents and other stakeholders) via a Public Participation Process. This will consist of a series of structured meetings, taking us into the third and fourth quarter. The intention is to get as many views as possible to hopefully arrive at a sufficient consensus view on the framework before the end of 2023.

Finalization and acceptance of the Strategic Framework will take place at the PBRA 2023 Annual General Meeting.

Phase III will then entail implementation of the framework through interaction with stakeholders, refining concepts, developing detailed approaches to the identified issues and implementing them as appropriate.

Our Progress

Phase I commenced with the independent evaluation of the best of three service provider proposals received. The partnership consisting of Urban IQ, VISI Africa Strategic Planners and Liana Jansen Landscape Architect & Heritage Practitioner was appointed in April. They commenced their work with a planned completion date of end of July 2023. The focus in this process is on factual matters, best practice solutions, creativity, and potential ways forward – to enable the community to deal with the opportunities and the challenges that may occur as the future unfolds.

Communication

Throughout the process, regular updates and interesting information emanating from the study will continue to be published in the Pringle Messenger and on our other platforms. We will continue to solicit community views as we progress through the steps and stakeholders may contribute in a variety of ways.

The PBVSF:2040 initiative is important. Our guiding approach is to take on board the views and aspirations of the Pringle Bay community – to provide an answer to the question of where we would like to see PB in 2040.