A new multi-purpose centre has been constructed with the purpose of making the Witzands Aquifer Nature Reserve more accessible to the community for environmental and recreational purposes.
“The City has invested R20 million in this new facility,” said Cllr Suzette Little, Mayoral Committee Member for Area North, “which will serve as a gateway to the very popular Atlantis dunes and bring the community closer to environmental education through its function as an administrative hub, which will manage the access of activities on the dunes.”
The Atlantis dunes are very popular for many activities, including for off-road vehicles, sandboarding and filming by production companies, which require permits.
“Currently these permits can only be obtained from Atlantis Municipal Cash Office in Wesfleur, Atlantis,” says Little. “With this facility we will eventually be able to issue the permits from here, making it more accessible for the community, which will also see more feet entering our reserve.”
The new facility boasts a hall and boardroom which the public can hire for functions, including weddings or birthday parties. However, alcohol is not allowed on site. The facility is already proving to be popular as the bookings are filling up. A system for online bookings is also on the cards.
“We encourage the community to make use of this wonderful facility,” said Little. “We also want to create more opportunities for environmental education. For this reason, the tariffs for hiring facilities at the new multi-purpose centre will be waived when the hall or boardroom is used for nature conservation activities. In this way we are hoping to run and attract more environmental programmes so that our communities have more opportunities to be educated around nature conservation and the role humans play in protecting our environment for generations to come.”
