See what's planned. Shape what follows.

Shape St Francis (ShapeSFB) helps people understand and take part in the public participation processes that affect the Greater St Francis area (St Francis Bay, Cape St Francis, Kromme River and the surrounding rural areas, Thyspunt, and other matters outside town that may materially affect the area). That includes environmental and development applications, and Kouga municipal processes such as by-laws, spatial development frameworks and management plans.

Development can affect our natural environment, infrastructure, traffic, water resources and the character of our communities. The public has an opportunity to raise concerns, offer local knowledge, suggest conditions or support a proposal before a decision is made. ShapeSFB makes that process easier to understand and use.

ShapeSFB is independent, neutral and free to use. It is not a government website, does not represent any authority, developer or environmental assessment practitioner, and does not campaign for or against development applications. Its purpose is to provide reliable, accessible information and help each person reach and express their own view.

We provide information, not opposition. ShapeSFB is not a place to object to a lawful project that has no public process of its own. If you know of a process that should appear here, see Request a project.

How it works

1. We do the groundwork

We read the application and assessment documents, explain the proposal in plain language and identify matters that residents may wish to consider. Page and section references are provided, and the original documents are available so that you can read them and check the information yourself.

ShapeSFB currently publishes applications and municipal processes received by the platform that may affect the Greater St Francis area. It is not yet a complete register of every process.

2. You have your say

Choose the position that best reflects your view:

• Support as proposed
• Support subject to conditions
• Do not support as proposed
• More information is required before I can decide

You then explain your reasons in your own words.

Anyone may comment, and you do not have to live next to a proposed development to take part. Comments are not anonymous: formal public participation requires your name and contact details, because each comment is delivered as an individual submission made in your own name. This lets the authority confirm you are a real person, weigh your comment properly, and notify you of the outcome. ShapeSFB does not publish your personal details on the site; they are provided to the authority or practitioner only as the process requires. A personal, relevant and well-reasoned comment is generally more useful than copied wording or a petition signature.

3. You confirm and submit

Before anything is sent, you receive an email asking you to confirm your comment. Once confirmed, your comment and contact details are submitted to the environmental assessment practitioner (or the authority) handling the application. Each comment is submitted individually in the participant's own name. ShapeSFB is not a petition.

A copy of the submission is emailed to you for your records.

Some processes start with registration. Early on, a process may be open for you to register as an interested and affected party rather than to comment. You register your interest, and we let you know when the comment period opens.

What happens next?

The environmental assessment practitioner must process public comments in accordance with the requirements applying to that application. The relevant authority considers the application and the public-participation record when making its decision.

Submitting a comment does not guarantee a particular result, but it ensures that your own position forms part of the participation process.

ShapeSFB provides civic information, not legal or professional advice, and cannot guarantee the outcome of any application.

Get notified of new processes

We will email you when a new application or municipal process is published for the Greater St Francis area. Free, and you can unsubscribe at any time.