The 30-day NEMA Notice of Intent commenting window has closed (an extension has been requested on procedural grounds — the registered notification list contained errors). The separate 60-day Water Use Licence Application (WULA WU38494) public-comment window is open now and runs until 16 June 2026. Comment on either process counts for both, and is sent to admin@hilland.co.za. A focused WULA objection builder will go live on this page shortly.
HilLand Environmental's official Site Development Plan (revision 9), released to Interested & Affected Parties on 13 April 2026. 120 group-housing erven, 2 apartment / flats erven, 1 business premises, 13 private open spaces, 18 eco-holdings, plus public and private streets.
Source: HilLand Environmental on behalf of Ballywood Properties 1 (Pty) Ltd. Distributed to I&APs on 13 April 2026. Plan Pr19/12 PB8010 Layout05.
Before the proposed expansion, this is the clifftop guest house Ballywood Properties wants to enlarge — parts of which already illegally encroach on the Admiralty Zone, the State-owned strip of coastline running 62 metres inland of the high-water mark.
The land in question forms part of the Robberg Coastal Corridor — supported by SANParks and CapeNature, and a recognised link in the greater Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative. The opposition is not a single campaign; it is a coalition of conservation bodies, ratepayers, and concerned residents.
Ballywood Properties (Pty) Ltd has applied to the Bitou Municipality for the rezoning and subdivision of land to allow the construction of a "boutique hotel" together with a new sectional-title housing complex. The application was first publicly notified in February 2024.
Ballywood is backed by a consortium of prominent shareholders. Experts say the development could eventually turn the Robberg Peninsula into a desert — because the coastal stretch on the other side of the peninsula, around the Whale Rock development, has already been built over and stripped of biodiversity.
The new developments will significantly exacerbate the damage already caused to this unique, fynbos-rich environment, and contribute to choking off the natural movement of flora and fauna species that is essential for biodiversity. — A local resident
Ballywood has been formally reported to the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Department of Water Affairs. Complainants have documented multiple environmental breaches and procedural irregularities. The dispute remains live: the developer continues to push forward, while environmental groups, ratepayers, and concerned residents pursue legal challenges and formal complaints.
As publicly reported. Formal CIPC beneficial-ownership records are being obtained and this list will be updated against the official filings.
Parts of the existing Ballywood development illegally encroach on the Admiralty Zone — a strip of State-owned coastline protected under the Integrated Coastal Management Act (Act 24 of 2008). Knowing what this zone is, and what it's for, is central to understanding why this case matters beyond Plettenberg Bay.
This rock pool, part of the existing development, encroaches on the Admiralty Zone boundary line and blocks public thoroughfare.
The dispute has been live for more than two years. In that time, the regulatory situation has shifted decisively against the developer — Bitou is now in declared water crisis, and a national gazette has tightened the legal test that any new approval must meet.
