𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟲 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. A half-hour walk up the mountain above Unie Park in Stellenbosch takes you to a huge construction site where ground has been broken for what is meant to be one of the Cape's new exclusive lifestyle estates. Roads have been laid on the steep slope and reinforced to prevent erosion, alien plants have been cleared, and the entire area enclosed with a fence which snakes down the mountainside. Luxury houses will go up here, commanding breathtaking views. The developers are selling plots for millions, attracting both local and international buyers who want a taste of the high-end Winelands lifestyle. But, for Stellenbosch residents concerned with urban heritage, this development feels very different from the small mountain resort they approved in a 2003 public participation process. And people living in neighbouring Ida’s Valley are chafing at a controversial land swap which they allege favours the developers with a sliver of municipal land in exchange for steep ground on which the developer cannot build. This at a time when plans for social housing on an adjacent piece of land seem to have fallen off the table. Carte Blanche examines the paper trail which throws light and shade on the convoluted process of environmental authorisation for an exclusive housing estate.