Table View Beachfront Transformation: New Walkway, Ablutions, and Parking

The City of Cape Town is halfway with its major project to rehabilitate, revitalise and maintain the Table View beachfront, one of the city’s prime tourist attractions along the Atlantic coastline. Work on the new walkway and ablutions, and upgrades to the parking areas will commence by mid-September. 

The upgrade of the Table View beachfront covers a stretch of 3km of coastline, from Dolphin Beach in the south to Bokkomsbaai in the north. The rehabilitation of the dune system is making good progress, and the City’s Coastal Management branch is now gearing for the construction of the walkway along the coast, reconfiguration of the parking areas, new ablution facilities, and the repair of aged stormwater infrastructure.

‘Table View beach gives us an iconic view of Table Mountain in the distance, it is a favourite kite-surfing spot, and extremely popular among locals and visitors. The City is always planning ahead and investing in projects that can protect and improve our natural and other assets. As such, we commenced with the implementation of this major upgrade project in June last year with our first focus being the rehabilitation of the dune system. With this now well under way, we are ready to get going with the improvements to the public amenities and coastal facilities for the thousands of visitors who flock to this pristine destination every year. 

‘From mid-September, we will be constructing a new walkway along the coastline from Bokkomsbaai to Marine Circle. Walkways are extremely popular as it allows for recreational activities along the coast. It is used by people of all ages, be it for walking or running, and is a great way of connecting with the outdoors in a safe environment, away from traffic. In addition, we will be constructing new ablution facilities, and upgrading and reconfiguring the parking areas.

‘The work will be ongoing for about two years, and although the public will have access to the beach at all times, this will cause some inconvenience. I want to thank the local community in particular, for their support,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.

The artist impressions give residents an idea of what the upgraded Table View beachfront will look like once fully implemented and vegetation established. The upgrades include a new walkway, reconfigured parking areas, and the rehabilitated dune cordon to improve the coastline’s resilience in this very dynamic natural environment where windblown sand and wave action have an impact on adjacent infrastructure.  

Details of upcoming civils works
Walkway
• The new walkway will be constructed along the coastline from Bokkomsbaai in the north to Marine Circle in the south
• The existing walkway from Marine Circle to Dolphin Beach will be restored
• The new walkway will cover a distance of 2km, and the section to be restored is approximately 1km long
• Once done, visitors will be able to walk safely along the Table View coast without needing to meander through parking areas  

Ablution facilities
• One new ablution will be constructed between Shell and Seal Roads, and another ablution adjacent to the parking area to the south of Marine Circle
• The existing ablutions will be refurbished Parking areas
• All parking areas, sidewalks and sections of Beach Boulevard will be impacted by the work, but visitors will always have access to the beach
• The work will be done in phases
• We will restore existing parking areas, and reconfiguring the parking next to the coast to accommodate the new walkway
• A new parking area will be created opposite Visagie Street to supplement parking bays that will have to make way for the new walkway; and parking bays will be added at Bokkomsbaai
• New parking will be provided within a reasonable radius to popular areas where the demand for parking is high
• The dune rehabilitation project includes wind nets and vegetation to mitigate the impact of windblown sand on the adjacent infrastructure, including the parking areas Stormwater infrastructure
• Existing stormwater infrastructure will be repaired and replaced where needed
• Sections of the beach will be impacted, but the work will be done in phases 

‘The public will have access to the beach, despite the ongoing work. However, the construction areas will be closed off, and the project will be done in phases to minimise the impact on residents and visitors as far as possible.

‘All-in-all, we are now halfway with the greater upgrade and if all goes as planned, the project will be complete by June 2025. I know this is a long time, but this investment will rejuvenate the Table View beachfront. All who live in this area, and visitors, will benefit from it,’ said Alderman Andrews.

Dune rehabilitation project
• The work commenced in mid-July 2022 with the profiling of the dunes from Dolphin Beach to Bokkomsbaai
• We have moved the sand to reinstate the dunes, covering an area of eight hectares; then stabilised the sand with the installation of wind nets, followed by revegetation with suitable dune-specific plant species
• 94 000 plants have been rescued and planted on the dunes
• 162 515 m³ of sand have been moved
• 23km of wind netting have been installed
• Sand accumulating at each location will be pushed back into the sea and the nets reinstalled as needed
• Planting will continue into 2024
• The vegetation will take several years to fully establish 

The public is reminded to keep dogs on a lead, to adhere to the signage on site, and only access the beach via designated access pathways.