Oct
2013
The company ‘Environment News’ had this to say about golf estates in general.
How “efficient” is your golf estate in terms of the environment, land use, municipal services and pollution?
Golf estates are viewed by many people as being elite.
Golf estates are generally developed on semi-rural land, leading to added burdens on infrastructure which was not catered for during the planning stage. Traffic congestion and municipal services have the added burden of services outside urban areas.
Storm water drainage, sewerage and water supply has to be diverted to accommodate the added demand.
Pollution from pesticides could pose a problem if used indiscriminately, and water saving methods should be a prerequisite for developments like golf estates as there are large tracts of cultivated grass areas which use vast quantities of water.
The question around security raises many socio-political and socio-economic questions and debates.
The view is that golf estates cater for those privileged enough to have guards to control access. Some say that these golf “communities” create a divide between rich and impoverished communities raising the question around community involvement, fighting crime, unemployment and poverty.
There are instances where compensation is offered for the affected areas, but financial contributions do not compensate for the losses suffered by the excluded communities.
In my view money is paid for services and service delivery. These exclusive homes do create employment since these houses would have been built in residential suburbs at some point in time. If someone bought two adjoining stands and built a mansion on it there would be no objection.
Considering that vacant land could end up in the hands of squatters (and these are generally large tracts of land) then it makes sense to rather develop the land. The other thing to consider is that once these estates are established and gardens grow, they will provide a haven for some birds and other wildlife which we would not necessarily see in suburbs.
There are benefits and drawbacks in golf estates, in the end it is a matter of preference and income.
Myroof has properties catering for the entire income spectrum.
