MOSSEL BAY NEWS - At the regular Mossel Bay municipal council meeting this morning, it was approved that the deck of the current aquarium at the Point be used as the finishing point of a zip line that will stretch from the cliffs below Point High School.

According to the recommendation approved by council the current aquarium will have to be maintained and upgraded by the proposed developer. However, a ticket office and a shop as well as storage space for the zip line gear will be established on the site of the aquarium that will be leased for a term of nine years and 11 months. It is also envisaged that a view deck will be developed for spectators and that the latest development will turn into a tourist hub at the Point with franchise restaurants in pop-up format.

The zip-line will consist of two 20mm cables of approximately 850 meters which will be anchored about three meter above the existing deck and on the rock face.

Council has called for development proposals for the aquarium site in 2016 and, after a public participation process merely two objections to the redevelopment of the area were received. Taking into consideration the merit of the objections as well as the aesthetic and strategic value of the aquarium area, business and or development proposals were called for. The infrastructure development will be for the account of the successful bidder, who will be allowed to sublet a portion of the property with the appropriate permission.