What is Village On Sea?
Village on Sea is a coastal eco-development situated on the Southern Cape Coast in Mossel Bay. It is a low-density housing estate with 112 erven within 85 hectares of fynbos. Village on Sea is part of the greater St Blaize Conservancy, stretching from The Point to Dana Bay. The natural bush and wide-open spaces serve as a habitat for a large variety of wildlife, such as mammals, birds, and reptiles.
The Estate’s proximity to many amenities, including two hospitals, two shopping malls, a Super Spar shopping centre, restaurants, the town itself and the wide-open, clean, sandy beaches, enables Village on Sea to offer a lifestyle second to none.
Village on Sea residents are primarily responsible for their own security within the confines of the Estate House Rules. However, since crime is always a concern in South Africa, the Estate management reviews and implements new security arrangements from time to time. A full-time guard controls the entrance and exit of contractors and visitors, and cameras with night vision and perimeter security have been installed, which alert security companies when an intruder is detected.
Two optic fibre networks have been installed, which enable residents to connect to the Internet via a range of Internet Service Providers.
New and existing property owners should familiarise themselves with the specifics of ownership at Village on Sea. Some of these requirements may not suit everyone’s lifestyle. However, the primary objectives are to preserve the natural habitat and to create a protected and themed lifestyle for the benefit of the residents.
Quick guide to Village On Sea
What you will find:
- Security
- Tranquillity
- Private natural surroundings
- Breath-taking views of the ocean and sunsets
- Wildlife
- Large variety of indigenous fynbos
- Styleful architecture
Convenience
- Less than a kilometre from the Heiderand shopping mall
- Less than two kilometres from the Bay View and Provincial Hospitals
- Within easy reach of many restaurants, two golf courses and the main beaches
Important Aspects of Ownership
Ownership of a property at Village on Sea implies automatic membership of the Home Owners’ Association through the following clause in the title deed of every property:
“ Onderhewig aan die voorwaarde kragtens die Akte van Transport T85294/2002, opgelê deur die Munisipaliteit van Mosselbaai in terme van Artikel 42 van ordonnansie 15/85, naamlik: ‘ the Transferee and his successors in title will be members of the Village on Sea Home Owners’ Association established in terms of Section 29 of Ordinance 15/85, and shall at all times be subject to the Constitution thereof and the property will not be transferred without the written consent of the Village on Sea Homeowners’ Association’. “
To preserve the natural environment and create a protected and themed lifestyle for the enjoyment of all residents, some rules and a code of conduct are outlined in the Constitution, House Rules and Architectural and Aesthetic Guidelines, which include:
- Design, construction, and external finishes of new and existing houses
- Gardening and environmental requirements
- Keeping of pets
- Access control and security procedures
- Legal information
Village On Sea Development
Development of Village on Sea (Extension 27 Mossel Bay) was approved in the Agreement signed on 30 October 1997 between the Municipality and the Developer, which set the Standards of Services to be provided. Further conditions were specified in the Municipal letter of 17 February 1998, also known as the Record of Decision. A Home Owners’ Association with a Constitution was established in accordance with Article 29 of the Ordinance on Property Planning No 15 of 1985. To see a copy of the Record of Decision, click here.
A 99-year lease agreement for the Public Open Area of 27 hectare south of the development and bordering the ocean was granted. The purpose of the lease is to manage and maintain the area according to the Environmental Management Plan as a major asset of Village on Sea and to preserve the ecosystems.
The public shall enjoy reasonable, but controlled, access due to the environmental sensitivity, via existing hiking trails and paths.
Private Houses
Erection of private houses by the owners must be done in accordance with laid-down Architectural Guidelines. These include procedures to be followed from site clearance to the final painting of the external surfaces.
Owners are advised to take note of soil conditions at the intended construction site, as this varies throughout Village on Sea. Certain areas consist of neutral sand underlain by impermeable limestone, which results in rising water table in wet seasons.
Building a new House
No site clearance is allowed without approval of the HOA. The Botanical Consultant will assess whether any fynbos in the footprint of the proposed dwelling needs to be rescued for later rehabilitation of disturbed areas. Please refer to the documents further down for more details, where you will find, amongst others …
- Building preliminaries
- Constitution
- House Rules
- Architectural and Aesthetic Rules and Guidelines
- Fire Management Plan
- Disaster and Response Plan
The Services (Infrastructure)
In terms of the Record of Decision, the Home Owners’ Association is responsible for maintaining the roads, street lighting, storm water, security fence and access control. Water, electricity, sewerage and refuse removal are provided by the Mossel Bay Municipality. Municipal Taxes are levied as described in Item 6 of the Service Level Agreement.
Ocean Ridge residents enjoy Right of Way as registered in the Title Deed paragraph B.
The Environment
Our Unique Environment
Village on Sea is located between the Mossel Bay Golf Estate and Pinnacle Point Coastal Estate. The popular St Blaize Hiking Trail skirts the coastal cliffs as it passes through a wide variety of indigenous fynbos.
For the leaflet that describes the St Blaize Hiking Trail, click here.
Following are some of the highlights from a survey that was carried out by Doug Jeffery in 1997 before Village on Sea was developed. To see his report, click here.
- Our fynbos is characterised by three distinct types:
- Limestone Fynbos.
- Coastal Thicket.
- Fynbos on Deep Neutral Sands.
- Most of the fynbos burned down in 1996 and again in 2017
(Note: these dates are important when planning future burns) - Condition for granting development rights:
- An Environmental Management Plan to be followed up with regular audits.
- Fire Management Plan must be in place.
These Conditions were incorporated into the conditions set by the Mossel Bay Municipality Record of Decision for the development of the area.
Joining the St Blaize Conservancy
To promote conservation of the region, Village on Sea joined their neighbours to register the ‘St. Blaize Conservancy’ with Cape Nature as custodian.
A conservancy is established in a voluntary agreement between two or more landowners to manage the environment. Conservation objectives are achieved by co-operation and commitment to the conservation of the environment on private property.
Management
Village on Sea is managed by a Trustee Committee, which is elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Constitution and the resolutions from Annual- and/or Special General Meetings comprise the mandate according to which the Committee manages the estate.
Financial Management is contracted out to the Managing Agent and include the following:
- Levies
- Builders’ deposits
- Architect fees
- Fines
- Income and Expense management and reporting
Daily on-site activities are overseen by the Estate Supervisor. An Architectural Review Committee, consisting of two Trustees and the Controlling Architect, reviews and approves all building plans before submission to the Municipality for final approval.
Operations Management include:
- Building Plan approval
- Security monitoring and compliance with procedures
- Emergency preparedness
- Fire prevention management
- Security Infrastructure maintenance
- Environmental management
- Construction site monitoring
- Roads and street light maintenance
- Enforcing the Code of Conduct
Where applicable, these services are contracted, monitored, and supervised by the Estate Supervisor and Managing Agent.
If you plan to build
Before starting building operations or removing any vegetation from your property, please familiarise yourself with the content of the documents listed below.
Click on the relevant document name below to download it.
There are also special procedures that are applicable to building contractors.
Building Contractor Conduct Agreement
Constitution
House Rules
Architectural and Aesthetic Rules and Guidelines
Disaster and Response Plan
Hobbyist Drones
Fire Management
A mandatory condition for granting development rights for Village on Sea was that a Fire Management Plan be implemented by the Home Owners’ Association, which include:
- Preventing fires in and around the house
- Firefighting in and around the house
- Wild fires threatening life and property
- Planned fynbos burning
- Control over alien vegetation.
It takes only one run-away fire to destroy a lifetime’s valuables. Since most fires are caused by human carelessness, fire management is not to be taken lightly.
To see a copy of the Fire Management Plan, click here.
Fire Protection Association (FPA)
Village on Sea is a member of the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association. A FPA is described as a group of land owners who co-operate to predict, prevent, manage, and extinguish veldfires. (For more details, visit: www.scfpa.co.za)
Fire Preparedness and Emergency Procedures for Individuals
Every household at Village on Sea must take note of the following:
Contacts
Managing Agent – Status-Mark
General enquiries, copies of documents, submission of building plans, change of address, income and expenses management, payment of architect’s fees and builders’ deposits.
Address: 11 Meyer Street / P O Box 567, Mossel Bay
Contact: Erna Andrews status11@status-mark.co.za Tel: 044 691-3054
Estate Supervisor
All internal matters that require attention and that affect residents of the estate
Contact: Chris Mulder mulderchris4@gmail.com Tel: 062 356-4335
Controlling Architect
Evaluates and approves building plans
Contact: Marais Visagie rvisagie@mweb.co.za Tel: 082 457-6058
Electronic Services
All electronic services, the electric fence and programming of gate remotes
Address: 60A Marsh Street, Mossel Bay
Contact: Wessel van der Westhuizen Tel: 082 775-8202
Estate Botanist
Contact the Estate Supervisor for referrals
Security
Provide security services to the estate
FADT Manages the guards Tel: 086-1212
Absolut Security Control Room Armed response Tel: 071 701-2948
Mossel Bay Municipality
After-hours problems with water, sewerage, electricity. Tel: 044 606-5000
Fire Brigade
Household and veld fires. Tel: 044 691-3722 / 1480
SA Police
Da Gama’s Kop Tel: 044 606-2215
Mossel Bay Tel: 044 606-2800
Trustee Committee (May 2024 to May 2025)
Oversees the management of, and all services rendered to the estate.
Chairman: André du Plessis
Members: Johan Jonker
Clive Parsons
Emil Bester
Chris Mulder (Estate Supervisor)
Note: Suggestions, complaints, and other correspondence for the attention of the Trustees, must be addressed to Status-Mark, who will forward it to the relevant Trustee.