About The UIP

Why a UIP in Ballito?

Urban decay is a reality of most cities throughout the world, and the creation of public space management structures is one way to ensure that this phenomenon does not negatively affect an area, but instead shifts the focus to growth and urban renewal.

A UIP is a public / private partnership that aims to improve public space service delivery within a defined geographic area, thereby creating desirable locations that result in, stronger economic activity, the creation of jobs and more secure property investments. The nature of a UIP structure is to partner with local municipalities to improve the quality of an area’s public space and has a proven track record of combating urban decay. With this in mind, the UIP aims to:

Retain existing investment and build investor confidence
Create an environment which supports vibrant and responsible business activity
Improve safety, the general environment and quality of life for the benefit of all
Respond to the challenge of environmental sustainability

UIP Establishment Process

In 2011 Ballito was experiencing increasing levels of urban decay, mainly around the issue of crime, grime, general maintenance and by-law enforcement. This was negatively impacting on investor confidence, business viability, property values and quality of life in Ballito.

For this reason, in September 2011, the iLembe Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, initiated engagement with the KwaDukuza Municipality (KDM), motivating for the adoption of KDM Special Ratings Area (SRA) Policy to allow for the establishment of UIP’s.

Based on the positive response from KDM, a grouping of concerned property owners raised funds to appoint Urban MGT, the company responsible for establishing and managing the uMhlanga UIP, to drive the SRA policy formulation process with KDM and the establishment of the Ballito UIP. This culminated in the KwaDukuza Municipal Rates Policy being adopted on 26 of September 2013 which made provision for the establishment of a SRA/UIP and specified the Special Rating Area Process and Procedure Manual which is required to followed to establish a UIP.

This necessitated the drafting of a UIP Feasibility Study, securing 51% of property owners support, holding of a public meeting and formal application to KDM.

Due process was followed and resulted in the KwaDukuza Council Resolution date 2015-03-31 formally approving the establishment of the Ballito Special Ratings Area (UIP). The first levies were raised for the new financial year 2015/2016 in August 2015. Following protocol suggesting the accumulation of 3 months reserve, on-ground services began in November 2015.

Services

The UIP management team is constantly responding to the ever-evolving needs of Ballito, whether it be service levels or special projects and adjusts its’ services accordingly. This said, the fundamentals of managing crime and grime will always be the top priority and remain the foundation of the UIPs’ success. To this end, the UIP has 4 core functions, all aimed at ensuring the quality of public spaces in Ballito. These functions, as listed below, are actioned as per the Ballito UIP implementation Plan, and include:

UIP/Municipal Partnerships: Optimising Service Delivery and lobbying for investment in infrastructure
Supplementary services such as Security; Cleaning and Maintenance
Marketing and Communications
Sustainability and Special Projects

Supplementary Services – Safe and Secure

The UIP has a proactive approach to security, with the focus of indentifying possible criminal intent before it occurs and taking corrective action. Building partnerships with the SAPS, KDM Protection Services Police and local community safety forums is critical in ensuring effective management. The UIP fulfils a vital role by integrating the various security entities and resources in the precinct which is led by the UIP Security Manager who is an integral part of the UIP management team and is not an employee of any security company. A key component of which is the UIP Monthly Environmental Security Forum attended by private security companies servicing UIP properties and property managers. The aim of the forum is to proactively improve the level of security in the UIP precincts through enhanced environmental management, integration, sharing intelligence, and ensuring operational assistance in emergencies. These meetings are minuted with a monthly UIP crime report and crime statistics provided for incidents reported to the UIP.

UIP Security Resourcing

In November 2015 Enforce Security Services was appointed as security service provider to the Ballito UIP, after an open call for tenders and quotations, which were technically assessed. The assessment reports were presented to the UIP Steering Committee for review and discussion on which service providers, considering technical scoring and value add, would be the best fit for the Ballito UIP service requirements. Their performance is actively measured against a Service Level Agreement, which is amended as the needs of the precinct change.

UIP security resourcing includes

A dedicated and capacitated UIP Security Manager employed by the UIP management company
A Grade A shift supervisor is on duty 24/7
Dedicated UIP response vehicle
UIP night security officers in high use public areas
UIP day security officers in high use public areas

Reporting crime or suspect behaviour is essential – Report a fault here

Supplementary Services – Clean and Maintained

cleaning-team2-gp The UIP has a team of cleaning and greening staff working on a rotation basis 7 a week from 06h00 to 18h00. The team, led by a supervisor, works in split shifts. Added to this, the UIP co-ordinates cleaning blitz operations where large groups of cleaners come in to undertake major clean-ups. These services do not replace those of the municipality, rather they are supplementary, with the objective of setting the service standards of public areas at levels expected of Ballito property and business owners. Besides day-to-day cleaning of public areas including streets, pavements and parks, and greening routines, which include grass cutting, watering and planter bed maintenance, the UIP is consistently working at improving the quality of public areas. In September 2015 Greenearth Landscapes was appointed as cleaning and landscaping service provider to the Ballito UIP, after an open call for quotations against a set specification. These quotes were presented to the UIP Steering Committee for review and discussion on which service providers, considering scoring and value add, would be the best fit for the Ballito UIP service requirements. Their performance is actively measured against a Service Level Agreement, which is amended as the needs of the precinct change. Maintenance and cleaning projects are captured in the monthly operational reports and focus on:

General maintenance requirements to public area infrastructure
Identifying and executing greening and beautification projects
Removing graffiti
Ensuring maintenance of pubic area signage

Marketing & Communication

Since its inception the UIP has recognized the importance of financial sustainability to service the growing demands of Ballito. The first priority is delivering the basics of a safe, clean and green Ballito and as this is achieved, so the marketing services will begin. This said, part of basic services is communicating with levy paying members, businesses and the broader local community through news bulletins , the website and the press. The focus is on telling the story about the value of the UIP by highlighting operational successes, UIP motivated infrastructure investment, and service delivery successes from partnering the KDM.

UIP/Municipal Partnerships: Optimising Service Delivery

Optimising municipal service levels and lobbying for investment in infrastructure is a core focus of the management team. For this reason, the UIP conducts an audit of infrastructure faults: lights out, damaged signage, blocked sewers, potholes, etc. on a daily basis. The faults are reported through the municipal fault reporting call centre and, if relevant, a photo of the fault is emailed to the responsible person at the municipality. If it is an urgent matter, it is also followed up telephonically. Faults are logged on a UIP management system and followed up on a regular basis until repaired. For this reason a large proportion of the UIP management time is allocated to optimising municipal service delivery.

Special Projects

Over and above the daily services provided by the UIP, there has been a strong focus on visibly improving the look of Ballito in order to inspire confidence and trust in the UIP structure. To this end Special Projects are tackled as need and budget allows.

Services

The delivery of the UIP services will cover high-use public areas including the entrances to Ballito on the N2 and M4, Ballito Business Park and surrounding commercial properties, Ballito Drive, Compensation Road, the boardwalk and adjacent beach. Due to the size of the area, the map of the UIP is divided into two with the area of services provided within the yellow boundaries.

Ballito UIP Area Map

Concept & Benefits

In any environment, urban decay threatens property values and business prosperity, negatively impacts on investor confidence and quality of life for the users of that area. Indicators of such decay include:

Crime / grime / social dysfunction
Inadequate services to public areas
The degrading of the built and natural environment
Poorly maintained infrastructure
Property owner apathy towards public areas surrounding their properties

When combined, and often one indicator leads quickly to another, the rate of decay is swift, with a turnaround becoming a slow and costly process. Urban decay and social dysfunction, particularly crime, are inextricably linked. For this reason improved safety cannot be viewed in isolation, but rather as an outcome of a holistically managed urban environment that is: improved social cohesion, cleaning, greening, maintenance, social responsibility, communication and importantly safety and security. It is important to note that there is no correlation between the rand value of municipal rates paid and service levels delivered to particular area. In other words, service levels are governed by municipal policy, which provides for a set service level throughout the municipality. This means that despite some areas contributing more to the rates base, they will not receive a greater level of service. For this reason, the UIP was established to fill the gap in service delivery to public areas thus ensuring the expected level of safety and quality of public areas in Ballito. International and South African statistics reflect that the UIP approach to the management of public areas, in partnership with the municipality, results in property values and business vitality out-performing those areas outside of managed areas. Urban Improvement Precinct is one term used for the internationally based concept of managed public spaces. City Improvement Districts, Business Improvement Districts or Management Districts are some of the other management vehicles used both locally and abroad. The Ballito UIP is one of Kwa-Zulu Natal’s examples with one of the most successful being www.umhlangauip.co.za and others outside KZN including www.capetownpartnership.co.za and internationally, www.ida-downtown.org

Benefits Of A UIP

A UIP is a sustainable funding mechanism for urban management and improvement of public areas, with the financial responsibility equitably shared by precinct members. With UIP (SRA) regulation governed by the Municipal Property Rates Act of 2004, there are no ‘free-loaders’ as all property owners within the UIP boundaries are compelled by the law to contribute. Being an independent and privately funded entity, means the UIP is directly answerable to its property owners, ensuring responsive service delivery. The UIPs are recognised by the municipality as an official ‘service provider’ to public areas, this status provides significant leverage in optimising municipal service delivery. As a municipal-recognised legal entity through which issues of common interest and concerns can be addressed, the UIP is able to leverage costs and service levels with private sector service providers such as security, landscaping etc.

Governance & Funding

The Urban Improvement Precinct (UIP) or the technical term Special Ratings Area (SRA), is based on the Municipal Property Rates Act of 2004, which makes provision for the establishment of what is technically termed a Special Rating Area (SRA). The SRA is a defined geographic area within which the majority of property owners agree to pay for certain services supplementary to those supplied by the municipality.

The Act requires the Municipality to approve a SRA Policy to specify the SRA establish process and management criteria. The municipal SRA policy requires the establishment of a Non Profit Company comprising a board of non-remunerated directors. The board is constituted by property owners or appointed representatives to represent property owners within the SRA. Furthermore, the SRA policy requires the UIP Board approve an annual business plan and budget specifically for the service requirements to the defined UIP area. The business plan and budget is approved annually by the municipality together with a finance agreement.

The company’s Memorandum Of Incorporation provides for specific responsibilities of the board of directors which includes the hosting of an Annual General Meeting and appointment of directors. This gives the property owners control of their contributions, ensuring transparency and accountability.

The UIP budget is funded by property owners in the UIP area and is calculated on a pro rata basis against assessed property values. This payment is levied on the municipal rates bill and collected by the municipality, free of charge, on behalf of the independent Non Profit Company, which represents member interests. Once the formation of the UIP is approved by Council all property owners within its boundaries are legislatively obligated to contribute to the UIP.

Official UIP

The Ballito UIP is recognised by the municipality as the official service provider to public areas in Ballito and the UIP has an annual service agreement with the municipality specifying what services the UIP is to be provide.The UIP status of an official service provider allows for leverage in optimising municipal service delivery.

Contracting Structure

The UIP Non Profit Company contracts an urban management company to drive the UIP, optimise municipal service delivery, ensure performance management of the UIP contracted service providers such as security, landscaping etc. The UIP board ensures performance oversight of service delivery and provides financial governance. The UIP Non Profit Company, although inviting an municipal representative to attend UIP board meetings runs independently of the municipality and is answerable to UIP (SRA) members.

Management Team

Urban MGT is the company contracted to run the Ballito UIP. The Urban Management team, along with its service providers ensure the smooth running of the UIP. The team consists of:

Thierry Leclezio – Ballito UIP Precinct Manager

A family man who enjoys running, Thierry relocated to Ballito from Durban North. Occupying operations and general management roles in the landscaping industry for most of his career, Thierry’s strengths lie in people management and planning for the most efficient delivery of services. “Ballito is a dynamic town that offers plenty to locals and visitors, and knowing that I will be involved in enhancing this offering and ensuring it grows from strength to strength is very exciting,” said Thierry.

Dieter Fittkau – Ballito UIP Security Manager

A Salt Rock resident, Dieter has worked in law enforcement for the past 27 years and is well-networked in the area. Having started his career in Ballito in 1987, he has watched the area develop and is looking forward to being associated with the work of the UIP. “I want to sink my teeth into this new challenge and show the community the benefits of a UIP. I think this is the start of something that not many people thought would be possible,” said Dieter.

Brian Wright – Managing Director Urban MGT

Brian is the owner of Urban MGT the company contracted to drive the Ballito UIP vision and service delivery. He has a Masters Degree in Sustainability (Rhodes University) and an International Marketing Management Diploma. The primary area of expertise is the establishment and management of financially sustainable institutional structures, which holistically manage environments with the aim of creating enabling business locations, enhancing quality of life and improving environmental integrity, key factors that underpin property values. A four-year experience in the NGO sector where he was contracted to the European Union on a substantial socio-economic development and environmental management project in the former Transkei provided invaluable experience in understanding the challenges faced by our country. This experience honed the professional skills required to actively engage municipal and government structures with the aim of establishing mutually beneficial partnerships.