History

The double-cricket Oval at St Stephen's Road has been at the centre of Pinelands for just under a century;
a central, green heart around which the Garden City suburb was planned and grew.

Origins

Shortly after Pinelands was established, Garden Cities set aside the Oval for the community. Former ward councillor Brian Watkyns recorded that the Pinelands Town Council always considered the fields to belong to the people of Pinelands, and therefore the actual fields were never leased to any sporting clubs. Previous attempts by the sporting bodies to lease the fields have been rejected. Current councillor Riad Davids has confirmed that only the grounds of the two clubhouses are leased, and not the fields.

The Oval remains City-owned land (Erf 3138). It is the only flat, level, grassed, sports-ready, unfenced, public open space of its kind in Pinelands. The area is designated a Grade 3B heritage resource - the same level of protection assigned to thatched homes, churches, and historic open spaces elsewhere in the suburb.

The Oval today

The upper and lower Ovals are used daily by a wide range of people and groups, including:

Pinelands Cricket Club - matches and junior development
Pinelands Athletics Club
School sport and physical education classes
Soccer training and matches (adult and children's)
Ultimate Frisbee
Touch rugby and informal recreation
Organised running groups, walkers, and dog walkers
General public enjoying open green space

The Pinelands Cricket Club was founded in 1934 with the first clubhouse and the upper Oval cricket turf following in the next couple of years. Pinelands Athletics Club was founded in 1937 and has shared usage of the Oval since then, with a cinder athletics track having been installed in the late 1940s.

Pinelands Hockey Club was founded in 1937, with fields around current-day Steengroef Road and Hockey Close. The clubhouse burned down in 1982 and PHC moved to the Oval, with playing fields installed on either side of the cricket pitches. The Pinelands Sports Club was formed to manage these fields and the clubhouse. Already in 1976, International Hockey had made astroturf mandatory for major competitions, and by 2015 PHC was no longer playing on the Oval's grass fields.

Timeline - the lease application

2015 - 2024 Pinelands Sports Club and others sought a lease of the fields from the City. Correspondence with councillors and officials produced conflicting answers; the fields were never formally leased to PSC while their clubhouse lease continued on Erf 321.
2016 onwards Pinelands Hockey Club, without the support of the PSC, began pursuing a separate lease for an astroturf facility. PHC states the City indicated that funding proof would be required before construction, but not necessarily before the lease itself.
2023 PHC floated plans for a major redevelopment of the Oval and a restructuring of the sporting bodies that call it home. The proposal included a hockey astroturf, soccer field, Padel courts, 5-a-side soccer, banked spectator seating, a large new clubhouse with squash and indoor playing court and increased parking.
The proposals were abandoned following lack of consensus.
2 March 2026 City of Cape Town notice: proposed 10-year lease of Erf 3138 to Pinelands Hockey Club. Advertised in the Cape Argus and Die Burger. Initial comment deadline: 2 April 2026.
13 & 20 March 2026 Pinelands Hockey Club publishes community statements (13 and 20 March) outlining the R9 million astroturf proposal and lease rationale.
18 March 2026 Large community information meeting on the lower Oval. Ward councillor Riad Davids announces a 30-day extension to the comment period. Full video recording available on our YouTube channel. Text available here.
18 March 2026 Pinelands Cricket Club publishes a response to the PHC statement, refuting many of their points..
March - May 2026 Widespread public objections submitted to the City - from residents, sports users and adjoining property owners. PFOTO coordinates community response, pamphlets, and media engagement.
10 April 2026 City issues a further notice cycle (newspaper and website advertisements), changing the contact person. They stated that this was a new process as the 20 March PHC statement was now attached to the City's online notice. Comment deadline: 12 May 2026. Abutting-owner letters sent separately, prompting concern that broader Pinelands stakeholders were not adequately notified.
6 May 2026 PFOTO-organised community meeting at the Pinelands Bowling Club. Qualified speakers addressed issues of heritage, environmental and community impact as well as outline further organisation of the campaign, petitions, and strategy. Full video recording available on our YouTube channel. Text available here
12 May 2026 Public participation (comments) on the PHC lease application close.
May 2026 onward PFOTO working group hold planning meetings to discuss ongoing strategy, formalisation of the Friends group structure, media reporting, and links with other communities facing similar loss of public open space.
PFOTO meets with the City Ombud to register process concerns and to ensure continued monitoring. PAIA requests lodged for lease application records, public comments received, and related City decisions.
June 2026 PAIA request denied - to be appealed.

This timeline will be updated as the City's decision process continues. For official notices and plans, see Documents.