Media Release: Garden Route Growth and Development Strategy Implementation Plan now in place

For immediate release
14 February 2023

Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Council approved the Garden Route Growth and Development Strategy Implementation Plan on 30 January 2023. The implementation plan has been completed through consultation workshops with stakeholder groups for each of the seven priority focus areas in the Garden Route Growth and Development Strategy (GRG&DS).

The Garden Route District Municipality in partnership with all spheres of government, the business community and key community organisations developed a Growth and Development Strategy 2040 (GRG&DS) which was adopted by Council on 30 March 2021.

A formal partnership agreement was entered into with the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEP) to develop the GRG&DS, in collaboration with the GRDM. The agreement also includes the compilation of Cluster Implementation Plans, based on the following seven(7) strategic focus areas:

• A Water Secure Future
• A Circular Economy
• Resilient Agriculture
• Sustainable Tourism
• Supporting Wellbeing and Resilience
• A connected economy: Transport and Rural-urban integration and ICT
• Sustainable Local Energy Transition

Click here, to download the implementation plan here.
Click here, to download the Growth and Development Strategy.

By starting off the practical work, a range of workshops, facilitated by the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP), took place from 11 – 15 July 2022, to develop implementation plans for each of the seven strategic priorities as identified in the GRG&DS.

The Garden Route Economic Recovery Plan containing interventions, as well as initiatives identified in the GDS, were formed the basis from which the implementation plans were developed.

Dedicated clusters have been established through which catalytic projects, tasks and identified activities will be executed.

The GRDM in collaboration local B-Municipalities, National and Provincial Government, agencies and the private sector at a later stage, form part of these working clusters. Relevant stakeholders per strategic priority were also identified as key members of the specific clusters.

The implementation of the GRG&DS is crucial to ensure the impact it will have on the region, through partnerships and collaboration. The implementation of the plan will happen over the next 18 years and is linked to the performance agreement of the Executive Manager: Planning and Economic Development.