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THE GREYTON POST
MAY /JUNE 2025
Greyton Gone Wild: Building Regs, Heritage Hiccups, and the Rise of the Rogue Renovator T here’s something in the mountain air lately— and it’s not just flowers, new breed: The Hopeful Home Improver. Armed with Pinterest inspiration, a vague mild outrage. Then there’s Greyton’s hard-won heritage status—a badge of honour earned through years of dedication. yellowwood (“too yellow”), and installing “urban industrial fantasy” lighting in century-old cottages. Sometimes it works. Other times... not so much. Mike Ash (with tongue firmly in cheek...)
sense of what’s allowed, and a contractor named Gawie, they’re quietly adding carports, electric fences (more City than Overberg), and mysterious piles of bricks just waiting to become something. One enterprising homeowner was overheard saying, “If we cut into the veld high on the hill and put up a few fence posts, no one will notice.” Spoiler: everyone noticed. Builders, often from out of town and sometimes even further out of their depth than the locals, try to follow instructions like “keep it in the vernacular” or “you know, like that cottage on Park Street but with a plunge
arsonists, and wood-fired pizza. Greyton, beloved for its “heritage-chic” aesthetic, finds itself in a growing state of architectural confusion and regulatory farce. Think The Office—but with more cement dust and fewer competent officials. At the heart of this drama lies the mysterious black hole otherwise known as the TWK Municipality. Specifically, their Zoning Scheme By-Law and the Urban Conservation Overlay Zone (UCOZ), where building plans go to die or, if you’re lucky, hibernate indefinitely. Want to check the status of an application? Good luck. Want to comment on one? Even better luck. The relevant official is often “away,” the phone line sizzles like a campfire, and emails vanish with Houdini-esque flair.
On paper, it protects the town’s architectural soul. In practice, it’s often reduced to a quaint suggestion, brought up at meetings by the stalwart HOZACs, and ignored the moment someone wants to knock out a load-bearing wall for a kombucha station. Interior designers are playing their part too, tearing out smoky fireplaces, painting over
Locals, meanwhile, oscillate between amusement and despair. WhatsApp groups are ablaze with zoomed-in shots of scaffolding and lively debates about “traditional roof pitch.” One resident tried reporting an illegal build, only to be told TWK “isn’t currently processing complaints.” Too busy, perhaps, tracing lost tender funds. What’s next for Greyton? A clear development policy? Actual enforcement? A municipal official who answers their phone and knows what day it is? Let’s not be ridiculous. For now, we sip our coffee, grumble politely (or not), and watch as our once- sleepy village is cheerfully reinvented—one rogue build, one surprise panhandle, and one wildly optimistic planning proposal at a time.
pool and glass walls.” The results range from baffling to borderline criminal—at least one such design triggered a 74-comment Facebook thread and a community meeting involving muffins and
Into this vacuum strides a
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