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| 10/22/2009 8:04 AM |
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The efforts made by Councillor Marius Koen, Ward Councillor for Langebaan: Ward 6 in response to the erection of the boom on Park Drive are noted with appreciation. However, the conclusion in his letter to the Weslander of 8 October 2009 that the process thus initiated led to the removal of the illegal boom is not supported by the facts. The boom was erected on Wednesday 9 September. It appears Councillor Koen only became aware of it on Saturday 19 September. Queries to the Saldanha Bay Municipality by the Langebaan Action Group regarding road status had as early as 14/15 September drawn a complete blank and there has to date still been no response from the municipality. By 17 September the Langebaan Action Group had already independently with the assistance of the (Provincial) Department of Transport and Public Works established the legal rights position and on 18 September had released the relevant information to the media and requested the District Roads Engineer: West Coast to remove the boom if the owner refused to do so. Telephone discussions with the landowner took place in the following week in which the position was communicated at length to him. He was unconvinced and in a statement to Weslander on 22 September still steadfastly maintained that he was within his rights to close Park Drive. The media releases by the Langebaan Action group corroborated by the Department on 23 September led to articles in the Weslander and the Sunday Argus (24 and 27 September) that for the first time placed the relevant information in the public domain and informed the public of its legal rights in the matter. On Friday morning 25 September the landowner, confronted with irrefutable fact telephoned the Langebaan Action Group to concede his error and agreed to remove all offending illegal structures. Removal of the Park Drive boom began on 30 September.
What in the end led to the speedy removal of the boom was not political intervention or bureaucratic process at all, but a watertight factual case independently researched and initiated by the Langebaan Action Group, corroborated by officials of the Department of Transport and Public Works and carried by the local media. In reality, the facts spoke for themselves.
The failure of the landowner’s attempts to close Park Drive and threaten access to the West Coast National Park as leverage for his development proposal has shifted the threat to the old “white road” extension of Oostewal Road, a favourite haunt of cyclists, walkers and joggers that extends southward along the lagoon from the Langebaan Yacht Club. Strangely, since this is private property and the route has since the realignment of the proclaimed road to Park Drive in the early 1990’s not been a “road” but a public thoroughfare over private land, the tarring of this “road” has been a recurring feature of the IDP project wish list for Langebaan advanced by parochial interests in the town. The “road” would for the purpose need to be re-proclaimed and this would immediately also jeopardise the established interests of property owners along the road who have developed since the road was deproclaimed. It would also potentially miss a golden opportunity to capture the full potential on offer. This matter was discussed at a meeting of interested and affected parties on 4 October. It appears in the light of current developments that the proposal to tar the road are premature if not ill-considered and that they should be removed from the IDP at least until a proper investigation and appropriate plan of action can be thoroughly thought through.
The future of the “white road” has wide-reaching implications for Langebaan, and in particular for beachgoers, the tourism economy, fishermen and local residents. Over the years the established rights of Langebaaners and visitors to convenient access to the lagoon beaches have steadily been neglected and eroded. It is inconceivable that town planners and decision makers have over the years neglected to provide for a form of lagoon-side promenade or something appropriately equivalent. The “white road” currently fulfils that role for tourists and local residents alike. Access to Oostewal Beach via the “white road” as of established public prescriptive right is therefore vital. The owner of Oostewal 292, frustrated in his attempt on Park Drive is now threatening public access via the “white road” as well. It is important that this land be acquired and developed as public open space for the benefit of all and to facilitate access to an important amenity in Langebaan. We rely on our public representatives to support such efforts and to work to protect the public’s established right of access and use of the “white road”.
These various road access issues are of course closely linked to the proposed development of the remainder of Oostewal 292 opposed by this community for 20 years. On 28 April 2009 Councillor Jannie Uys publicly registered his principled objection to the latest Shark Bay development proposal, the Scoping Report, the southward shifting of the urban edge of Langebaan and the employment of this land for any other purpose than as a natural public buffer zone between Langebaan town and the Park consistent with the 2004 Spatial development framework. At least 1 300 persons and institutions over a period of just four days registered similar views on the savesharkbay.org website. It would be instructive to know whether the elected Ward Councillor for Langebaan: Ward 6 shares this principled position. It is important is it not that the public at large should know? |
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