Planning & Development
This portfolio is by far our most active – in both time and spend. We have a dedicated town planner, resident Carolyn Douglas, who is devoted to saving the integrity of our suburb. She draws up objections for the residents to submit and attends tribunals on our behalf.
The LHRA is not anti-development. Our aim is to try and keep the development in keeping with the nature of the suburb, and with what our aging infrastructure can cope with.
We are delighted that more and more developers are coming to us before their applications so that we can work together with them for the best of the immediate neighbours and the suburb at large.
Environment
Houghton is a magnificent suburb and the LHRA takes our environment seriously.
Starting in 2018, the portfolio ran research on the effect of the PSHB on our trees, culminating in 2021/22 in organizing a massive plant of 623 trees, in conjunction with City Parks.
The LHRA currently engages a gardener, called Ben, who works for us on Mondays. He tackles overgrown and unsightly areas and we would welcome all residents to guide him on which areas require his attention. Please let us know if there are any common areas we can assist in cleaning, clearing and making beautiful.
The possibilities here are endless – from clearing/cleaning problem spaces to planting in common areas. However, this is dependent on how much the LHRA can raise annually.
Heritage
Houghton is a suburb in the midst of a quiet revolution. Once made of properties with large homes on acre stands, the area is now subject to the pressures of densification and urban development which is changing the nature and ambience of the suburb.
Many historical gems have already been lost or are under threat due to the nodal review and its insistence of densification.
We are proud to have several Blue Plaque Award homes in our Suburb, which has been the result of a significant amount of work between our Heritage Committee, and the Johannesburg Heritage Association.
The LHRA hosted a Blue Plaque Tour in 2022 featuring four of our Blue Plaque homes, which was a great success.
