Dawood building in Simon’s Town demolished for safety concerns

The long-derelict Dawood building in Simon’s Town - described by residents as an eyesore in the heart of the town - was demolished on Thursday, November 27, after the City issued an order declaring the structure unsafe.

Mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, Eddie Andrews, confirmed that the City had received an engineer’s structural stability report recommending that the building be demolished “to remove the risk of collapse.”

A Section 12 Notice, issued under the National Building Regulations, then compelled the full demolition to protect surrounding properties and members of the public.

The status of the building’s heritage protection has long been a point of public interest. Mr Andrews said that according to a Heritage Western Cape (HWC) permit issued on September 7, 2022, the resource was classified as “not conservation worthy.”

Professor David Attwell, chair of the Simon’s Town Civic Association, said that although the building had not been declared a heritage site, the City and HWC had previously required that the façade be retained under redevelopment plans.

“However, the owner allowed the property to deteriorate to the point that the façade had to be taken down along with the rest of the building,” he said.

He attributed the rapid decline to the owner “illegally removing the roof,” which he said led the City engineer and building inspector to declare the structure unsafe.

“One can only speculate on the intentions of the owner, who seems to have deliberately neglected the property over the years,” he added, saying the memories of families who once lived there had been disregarded.

Ward councillor Simon Liell-Cock said his understanding was that the roof had indeed been removed without approval, accelerating the structural failure.

He also confirmed that earlier approved plans had allowed demolition but required that the façade be retained.

No new plans have been submitted, he said, but any future development would need to comply with the stringent heritage and design requirements of the Simon’s Town Heritage Protection Overlay Zone.

Mr Andrews confirmed this, saying any proposed building work on the site “will be assessed in terms of its potential impact on the character and significance of the HPOZ,” and must align with guidelines for the conservation of the Simon’s Town Historical Mile.

The Echo attempted to contact the owner, Peter Michaletos, for comment, but received no response.

Mr Liell-Cock said the priority now was seeing long-awaited progress on the site.

“After all the years of waiting, we can look forward to the development of this property, upgrading this end of the Simon’s Town CBD,” he said.