The project started in 2018.  The upgrading of High Street was linked to the upgrading of the stormwater project and the Overstrand Municipality saw the opportunity, while the roads are open and the tar was removed, to do the upgrading of High Street to make it more pedestrian friendly.  The aim is to have a street where people can roam about freely to shop, sit at a table on the pavement to eat and drink.  The idea came out of a framework plan that was developed for Hermanus CBD back in 2000 so this has been a project on the cards for many years now. 
 
The overall idea of the upgrade of High Street is to create a more spacious look and feel.
 
The tarred roadway is going to be replaced by brick paving, tree planting etc.  As before, the street will be for everyone where the vehicles will still share the street with cyclists, pedestrians etc. 
 
After many meetings with the Hermanus Ratepayers Association, the property owners, shop owners and the History Society who were all a part of the Hermanus Revitalisation Committee, the designs were completed in 2018.
 
This whole process was chaired and lead by Dennis Hendriks and Riaan Kuchar of Overstrand Municipality.  Uli du Toit is the lead Design Engineer from Element Consultant Engineers (who are also the lead Consultants), responsible for the overall civil engineering part of the project and GAPP Architects and Urban Designers, who are responsible for the High Street upgrading component.  The team has been working on the project since its inception.
 
In 2018, after many consultations, designs were completed, whereafter, the project went out for tender.  After a number of hiccups, the project at last came to fruition, at perhaps the most fortunate time in 2020, when businesses have not been as busy due to COVID-19 and there have been few foreign tourists during the construction period.

The project is now around 3 months away from completion and it the final little details to go in.
 
PLAN FROM OSKAR’S / INTETHE GALLERY TO FLEURS
 
The new look and feel of the Street will be removing the dedicated roadway and the different levels for the sidewalks to be evened out.  The whole area will be paved, and they are in principle, identifying where the cars and pedestrians will be located, however, the street will all be on one level so it will also make it pedestrian friendly, wheelchair friendly and pram friendly and will be open where you can walk from one side of the street to the other on a levelled surfaced road.
 
The areas where cars are not allowed will be protected with trees, bollard’s and street lights and will be a very clearly defined.  As per the existing situation, the short section from College Road to Woolworths parking lot will be 2-way traffic and from Beach House Interiors to College Road it will be 1- way traffic. 
 
Hermanus CBD is sorely lacking in street tree’s and this will be an opportunity to add more street trees to the CBD. 
 
Indigenous and well established trees will be planted in the street. The Overstrand Municipality works with horticulturist Lauren Rainbird who is very capable and advises on which trees should be planted where.  Hermanus is a difficult area to plant trees due to the wind.
 
A row of new trees which will be placed from the entrance of Intethe Gallery ending at College Road.  The 2 (two) beautifully flowering Hibiscus trees currently outside the Gallery will remain.  Red dots are marked out where the trees will be planted if you wish to view these.  There has been a lot planning into where the trees will and can be planted and this is part of the larger vision for the street.  Overstrand Municipality will maintain their trees and this will include pruning which is important for security.
 
There will be 3 (three) Planted Areas which are edged with natural stone in front of Marine Square and this will be repeated down the road.  Timber will be mounted on top of the stone which will function as a bench.  Hence the wall will function as a bench as well as an edge for the planted area which allows for stormwater infiltration, called Sustainable Urban Drainage or SUD’s.
 
On the other side of the road there is the channel which is already visible in the paving.  The kerb is going to be removed, the area will be levelled.  This entire area will be paved.  The pedestrian area will be protected with a row of bollards.
 
The loading bays will remain where they currently are.
 
WALKERBAY ART GALLERY TO DIRKIE UYS STREET

On the road opposite trees will be planted continuing from the 3 trees planted at the top of the road and this will go all way to the Dirkie Uys Street intersection.
 
Outside Fleurs, the road and parking will remain the same with trees on the opposite side.  The overhead power lines are going to be removed and the electricity cabling is already underground.  New Contemporary Street lights will be erected in the entire section.
 
 
ROSSI’S TOWARDS BEACH HOUSE INTERIORS
 
PERGOLA
The pergola will be built in the area opposite Rossi’s Restaurant.  It will be a steel and timber structure that mimic’s the old Street façade and can function as an Events space.  The area can be utilised for a Street Market, music event or wine tasting etc.  The parking area behind the Pergola could also be used as an events space.  The Pergola will partially cover the pedestrian walkway, there will be stone walls and seating under the Pergola.  Provision will be made for an electrical box for access to 2-phase power as well as special lighting.
 
The Pergola includes planted areas and seating which will give an edge to the parking area and create a facade to the street.  Again the pedestrian area will be protected with bollards.  Because of the Pergola, trees will be planted on the opposite side of the road in front of Rossi’s until the end of the Pergola section where the remaining trees will go back onto the other side of the road. 
 
Unfortunately a few trees had to be removed from the plans due to clashes with underground services or overhanging canopies and were replaced by bollards.
 
On the corner, they are bringing in some of the stone wall seating areas.  These mark this as a central area and helps deal with the level differences and is part of the Pergola.  They will be made of natural stone walls with timber slats for the seating.
 
There will be no parking directly outside Rossi’s anymore and the Overstrand Municipality is aware that parking as a whole in Hermanus is a problem.  Therefore parking has not been taken out completely but importantly High Street is not meant for parking.  The new layout is aiming to create a walking, shopping, eating experience.
 
In general, it is important to plant more trees and soft planted areas in the urban realm to promote biodiversity, improve stormwater absorption as well as preventing what many cities are now experiencing: “heat island effect”.  Due to increasing quantities of hard surface in cities that absorbs heat and does not release it, the overall temperature in urban areas increases.  Create shade and soft landscaping counteracts this.
 
The way to deal with this is to plant more trees, creating more soft absorbing areas and to plant more ground cover.  They project will be introducing this concept to High Street in combination with natural stone wall which double up as seating.  The ground covers that will be planted are all indigenous plants.
 
Plan prints of the High Street upgrade will be displayed / available at Rossi’s Restaurant as well as The Gallery Deli in High Street.
 
Please do not hesitate to contact me, should you have queries. 
 
Kind Regards
Robyn Diederichs
0814115202
 
WCBCF EXCO
Website: www.wcbcf.co.za
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