The Constantia community is to take the City of Cape Town to court after it gave the green light for a housing development to be built on a grade one heritage wine farm in Constantia’s famed valley of the vines.

The 54-hectare farm, Glendirk, lies to the west of the M3 at the foot of Wynberg Hill, and has two large houses built by Sir Herbert Baker.

About two-thirds of the land is under vineyards.

The Constantia Property Owners’ Association says in approving the rezoning and subdivision of the farmland, to make way for luxury housing, the city rode roughshod over the recommendations of its own officials who said the development should not be approved.

The association maintains the city has also ignored its own policies.

In spite of the officials’ recommendations, the city’s mayoral committee and mayor, Patricia de Lille, recommended to the council that the application be approved.