The Henties Bay town council wants to decrease its backlog for houses and increase investment in the town over the next five years, as indicated in its newly launched strategic plan.

 

The Henties Bay town council launched its five-year strategic plan for 2021-2026 on Friday (11 February), and the plan is to make the town a “better place”- according to both the mayor and CEO.

At the launch, it was indicated that Henties Bay (with a population of about 10 000) is growing to be a multicultural town socially and politically, and that all residents should benefit equally through the development of the town.

At the same time, the town needs to make the most of its reputation as a peaceful holiday destination and tourist attraction to boost the local economy and to exploit the opportunities offered by the ocean through the blue economy concept.

“With this strategic plan, our municipality is presenting the priorities and key actions that will enable the town to move closer to its collective vision of inclusive prosperity, as well as accessible and responsive service delivery,” said Henties Bay mayor Lewies Vermaak.

According to him, the successful implementation of the plan will not just hinge on service delivery, but also on creating an enabling environment in which individuals and investors can find space to deploy their talents and resources for the growth of the town.

At the launch, he told Erongo 24/7 that key goals in the plan are to catch up on ongoing housing developments and ensure the backlog on housing provision in the town is reduced. “If we can build 200 houses in the next four years for the 400 residents of the !Goas informal settlement, that would exceed our expectations.”

He also urged investors to get involved, not just to develop the holiday town, but also to provide jobs and business opportunities. “We are open for business; come and speak with us and let us build Henties Bay together – we can make our town a better place for everyone.”

Henties Bay CEO Elizabeth Coetzee echoed that the aim of the strategic plan is to make the town a “better place”. “In this [strategic plan] we promise to implement those activities we indicated and bring more visitors and investors to our town,” she said after officially launching and receiving the plan from Vermaak.

Leandrea Louw