To put Hiltonians’ minds at ease and correct any possible misrepresentations shared in various fora, the LoveHilton Urban Improvement Precinct (UIP) committee (LoveHilton) would like to clarify some key points regarding the proposed establishment of the UIP.
In particular:
Consent form validity
The view of LoveHilton’s legal counsel (and therefore of LoveHilton itself) is that the content of Love Hilton’s consent form is valid and legal and provides for unequivocal consent from the property owner. It is vital to note that uMngeni Municipality received hard copy and digital consent forms for review in 2022 and returned no comments. LoveHilton is surprised that this is being questioned now.
Claims that uMngeni Municipality’s Legal Advisor’s concerns imply that the consent forms are invalid and result in a zero percent consent are skewed and ill-founded. Nowhere has uMngeni Municipality stated that the forms are invalid - especially since, as mentioned, these forms were not amended by the municipality when submitted for review. The consent form is modelled on examples used successfully in other UIP establishment processes. While some details of the UIP business plan and budget might change, LoveHilton has followed due process throughout. If necessary, LoveHilton will seek endorsements from consenters to support these changes at the appropriate time.
Project status
There is still a lot of work to be done before the UIP is implemented. Love Hilton has conducted an ongoing and comprehensive public participation process. Most of the feedback received has been positive.
To clarify: Special Rates Area (SRA) policy says that the UIP establishment application must be submitted not more than nine months after the date of the initial public meeting (22 April 2023). Establishment of the LoveHilton UIP Non-Profit Company (NPC) will therefore continue with collection of remaining required consent forms to meet the municipality’s submission deadline of 31 October 2024. After a rigorous audit that revealed various duplications those consenting to the establishment of the LoveHilton UIP total 565 in favour and 24 (or 4%) who have returned ‘No, I do not consent’. Once the 60% threshold of consenting property owners is received the UIP NPC will be able to commence operations - we anticipate 1 July 2025. Notably, the Board of the NPC is appointed by the ratepayers themselves and runs along the lines of a homeowner’s association.
Currently only 20% of Hilton’s ratepayers (380 households/businesses) contribute to community security initiatives, an amount of R105,000 per month that keeps us all safer. The LoveHilton UIP will make the budget more inclusive, and enhance impact and sustainability as a legal entity.
Encouragement
LoveHilton is encouraged that uMngeni Municipality’s municipal manager has once again reiterated support for the merits of UIPs. As a reminder, the current LoveHilton UIP business plan and budget focuses on maintaining and improving community safety and the general state of Hilton. This is in line with uMngeni Municipality’s Integrated Development Plan’s vision to build safer communities and support sustainable socio-economic development.
Residents are encouraged to stay informed and engage in good-faith, transparent discussions about the future of our community. It's crucial that any discussions positively reflect our collective intent to improve Hilton for the benefit of all - residents as well as people who work within our community.