A private public partnership between ABSA DevCo and the Knysna Municipality will result in an additional 359 housing units being added in Hornlee, Knysna.

Municipal Manager Lauren Waring said this is exciting news for Hornlee residents. “The last housing handovers in this specific area were in 2000, so for those on the housing waiting list this is certainly good news. Eight erfs have been earmarked for development and it will include 92 Breaking New Ground (BNG) units and 267 bonded units.”

She said the 92 units are government subsidised units which will be handed over to individuals on the waiting list. “It will be done according to the housing allocation policy and preference will be given to the elderly and disabled.

“About 36% of the bonded units will be financial linked individual subsidy units for individuals earning between R3 501 – R18 000, and about 38% will be open market units for individuals earning R18 001 onwards. Preference will be given to potential buyers already residing in the Knysna area.”

The municipality will start servicing the sites from March to May next year, with construction starting in June.

Waring said that a community meeting will be convened early in 2015. “We have to discuss the allocation process and a project steering committee must be elected to represent the potential beneficiaries. If all goes according to plan, we anticipate handing over the first government subsidised units by 2016.”

The project will go to Council on the 27th of November for final approval.