Oude Molen Eco Village Cape Town

The Oude Molen Eco Village was initiated in 1997 by a small group of proactive social entrepreneurs who over a period of three years transformed an abandoned and vandalised hospital complex into a micro-enterprise village.

The motivation was to alleviate poverty by pioneering a new and innovative way of maximising the potential of an underutilised public asset by providing affordable space to emerging small enterprises to create employment opportunities, empower youth, promote urban agriculture and offer a variety of social and recreational activities to surrounding communities and local and international visitors while producing revenue for Provincial Government.

The Village currently hosts 42 small business enterprises that collectively employ approximately 200 people. Enterprises range from backpacker accommodation to music studios, equestrian activities, frail care services, metal, wood, art and craft workshops, public pool and braai facilities, urban agriculture, a restaurant and a school. They include educational, cultural, social and recreational amenities and Non-Profit services for youth all benefiting local communities.

Future Development Plans / Vision

The Oude Molen Eco Village Tenants Association, in partnership with the City of Cape Town Two Rivers Urban Park organisation, are the drivers of a future development proposal committed to the continued transformation of the property into Live and Work micro enterprise Eco Village and Public Urban Park.

The proposed future development aims to organise the initiative as a social enterprise so that all profits are used for additional social, economic, environmental and educational development in the region. In addition, an estimated 100 enterprises will actively provide job shadowing and skills development opportunities to 160 unemployed youth per month.

Further, the aim is to optimise the unique location and social and recreational opportunities by ensuring that the village functions as a sustainable neighbourhood and public urban park for the benefit of surrounding communities. The proposed development gives tangible effect to the City of Cape Town World Design Capital 2014 Programme values and objectives.

A collaborative feasibility study undertaken by the Tenants Association together with engineering students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute USA, projected that the proposed future development is able to generate R200 Million in direct income to Provincial Government and distribute R70 Million to Non Profit Organisations in the region over a period of 50 years while providing 500 fulltime and 1500 informal employment opportunities per month.

World Design Capital 2014

The Oude Molen Eco Village Future Development Proposal has been included as a World Design Capital (WDC) 2014 project. This not only affirms the innovative and socially relevant nature of the Village, but provides a dynamic platform for heightened public participation in the design and future development of the Village.

Challenge

After 19 years of existence the Oude Molen Eco Villages vision has come under threat from Provincial Government’s unimaginative “Business As Usual “and top-down development approach who intend developing a private corporate medical park on the property.
The Tenants Association together with the City Two Rivers Park organisation and the general public that frequent the village believes this Business As Usual “approach is short-sighted and a medical park development should be prevented for the following reasons:

• The development approach is top-down has not been transparent or involved any public participation or consultation with effected communities and key stakeholders
• The emphasis on large corporate business does not recognise current research which indicates small enterprises as having produced the majority of all new employment opportunities in South Africa over the past ten years
• Research also indicates that micro and small enterprises distribute wealth far more equitably than large corporates
• The proposed excessive building footprint will destroy the unique ambiance, public urban park character and open space appeal that sets Oude Molen apart
• The proposed medical park development will undermine the community’s proactive and constructive role over the past 17 years and discourage proactive citizenship
• The proposed medical park will require highly skilled employees and as a result will not provide employment opportunities to citizens from local and surrounding communities where unemployment is most predominant
• The proposed medical park represents an unimaginative “Business As Usual “approach which does not recognise progressive and innovative international best practice Social Enterprise multi- bottom line management models of doing business promoted by leaders such as Richard Branson (integrating people, planet and profit)
• The proposed development and process to date contradicts the Provincial Governments proclaimed values in terms of; creating a city where everyone is included / using design to heal the negative legacies of the city’s divided past and reconnect its people and its spaces / creative communities for social, economic and cultural solutions / access to green and vibrant public spaces / providing affordable premises for small and micro enterprises

Conclusion

The Oude Molen Eco Village Tenants Association (OMEVTA & TRUP) as proactive citizens and joint custodians of this precious public asset are promoting a future development model that addresses the needs and aspirations of multiple stakeholders while ensuring optimum social, economic and environmental benefits for the entire region.

The proposed future development put forward by OMEVTA & TRUP is a unique amalgamation of carefully researched local and international best practices.

It is a win-win financially sustainable solution emphasising a holistic development approach that optimizes the historical legacy, strategic location, scenic views and unique social, economic and recreational opportunities the Oude Molen Eco Village property has to offer the region.

The OMEVTA & TRUP proposal embraces the core democratic principle where citizens as joint custodians of public assets have a responsibility to ensure government as co-custodians utilise public assets in the most optimum and sustainable way for long-term social, economic and environmental benefits for current and future generations.

For more information visit our website www.oudemolenecovillage.co.za.