uct heritage park management framework - University of Cape Town

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The elevated edges along the Ring Road edge overlooking the dam offer spectacular views
towards the Tygerberg Hills. The lower portions of this site comprise grassy slopes, offering views
towards the distant mountains from what can be perceived to be an amphitheatre type setting.
Figure 11: Platforms, and views out of the UCT Heritage Park (not to scale)
4.5 The Forest within the broader landscape
The landscape in which the site is located, perceived from afar, is still dominated by a dense
coniferous forest although the “up close” experience of the landscape is somewhat different as it
is typically comprised of “meadowlands” – open grassed slopes with scattered clumps of trees.
The site, having a far denser canopy than the immediate surrounds, is presently perceived as the
densest part of the ‘forested’ slope and forms a very solid backdrop to Upper Campus. The
perceived density of the backdrop increases with distance resulting in the iconic image of UCT
against the forested slopes of Devils Peak from Rondebosch Common.
One’s experience of the Groote Schuur Estate landscape, driving along the Rhodes Memorial
access road, is that it is increasingly defined by ownership patterns, i.e. the landscape is managed
not as a whole but as a set of unrelated compartments defined by cadastral lines. The UCT Forest
Precinct boundary is presently clearly defined by a fence and felling/clearing activity adjacent to it.
It is clear from other reports that the southern boundary was ‘revealed’ after an old Eucalyptus
firebreak was felled. The western upslope boundary is also more defined now that the older trees
that comprised the avenue are gone. Fortunately there is still canopy that merges over the
approach Avenue providing a sense of real enclosure before arriving at Rhodes Memorial. The
UCT Forest Precinct is most successfully connected to the broader landscape in the North (Figure 12).
UCT Heritage Park Management Framework: Final Draft Report, July 2012