Root44 Market Closure: Stellenbosch Municipality Shares Planning Timeline

Stellenbosch Municipality says the Root44 Market closure follows years of planning decisions, land-use approvals and an owner’s choice over development rights.

I have been meaning to get down to Root44 for ages now. It is one of those places I have always flagged to visit on a sunny weekend, but somehow the timing never quite worked out, and now it seems I have missed my chance. Like many locals, I was saddened to see the announcement that this popular Stellenbosch hub is closing its doors until further notice. It is a tough blow for the traders and the families who relied on that space.

However, as with most things in our valley, there are two sides to the story. While the market’s announcement mentioned a lack of support from the authorities, the Stellenbosch Municipality has since released a media statement to clarify their version of the planning history. It turns out the situation is far more complicated than just a simple closure.

The choice between a market and an emporium

According to the municipality’s timeline, the root of the issue goes back to 2009. That was when a land-use application was first approved for a wine emporium on the site. Fast forward to 2012, and a temporary departure was granted to allow the Root44 Market to operate as a farmers’ market for five years.

When 2017 came around, the developer applied to make the market permanent. The municipality says they actually approved this, but with one major condition: the developer had to withdraw the original 2009 approval for the wine emporium. The planning assessment apparently found that the property simply could not handle both. Having a permanent market and a wine emporium running together would have caused significant traffic issues and effectively turned a rural area into a large commercial shopping destination.

The owner’s final decision

This is where the narrative shifts. The municipality notes that the developer appealed this condition, but the Appeal Authority upheld the decision. The developer was left with a choice: proceed with a permanent Root44 Market by dropping the emporium rights, or keep the emporium and lose the market’s permanent status.

The statement says the developer chose to retain the wine emporium approval. Because of that choice, the permanent, formalised version of the market could not be implemented. The municipality is quite firm in rejecting any suggestions that they refused or prevented the market from existing; they maintain it was a choice made by the owner regarding which land-use rights to prioritise.

What this means for Stellenbosch

It is a difficult situation for everyone involved. The municipality acknowledges the economic importance of the site and the jobs it created, but they argue they have a legal responsibility to stick to planning policies and environmental laws.

I really feel for the traders who are now left in the lurch. It is exactly the kind of place I like to flag for people because it brought so much life to that stretch of the R44. While I never got to experience the market myself, the loss of any community space like this is felt across the whole town. For now, it seems the gates are staying shut as this planning tug-of-war reaches its conclusion.