The Rhodes Memorial Restaurant that lies within Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) will remain closed until further notice.
The Rhodes Memorial Estate was suffered extensive damage in April when a fire that swept over the area, destroying more than 650 hectares of land. Rehabilitation work is still underway in this section of mountain.
According to the City of Cape Town, the fire assessment at the Rhodes Restaurant has been finalised, but the possible rebuilding of the property has been delayed because it is a Heritage Site.
“The insurers appointed a Heritage Architect to oversee the construction work and contractors were appointed to clean the damaged area and safeguard parts of the building to assess if some of the building material cannot be re-used.
“The possible re-building of the Tea Room, however, is delayed as a result of discussions with the Department of Public Works who are the custodians of the Land. Secondly, the Tea Room is a Heritage Site and all deliberations and decisions on the building must be approved by Heritage Western Cape,” the City said in a statement.
If the restaurant is rebuilt, Heritage Western Cape will have to approve the plans.
The infrastructure relating to water, electricity and sewerage systems were severely affected by the fire and have to be re-established.
“The insurers are busy with evaluations and in the process of appointing service providers to commence with the work. All of this will, unfortunately, take some time. TMNP will keep the Public abreast of all the developments through regular communication and we would like to thank our visitors for their patience in this regard,” said the City.
An assessment of the area identified 280 burnt trees for felling along Rhodes Memorial. This process will be completed by the end of November. To date, 434 trees including Devil’s Peak and Game Camp Area, have been successfully felled by the contractor.
TMNP Park Manager, Frans van Rooyen said: “Partial reopening of the area has been granted to users by TMNP management which allows hikers, runners, cyclists, etc. to make use of the area through the turnstile located at the main entrance. Vehicle access is not permitted at this stage as felling operations continue. We urge users to be cautious when carrying out their activities in the area.”
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