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Rob Munro
Posts:39
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| 08/18/2007 1:40 PM |
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Hi there
Things have seemed a little quiet of late. This doesn't mean that work against the development has slowed down at all!
We have been meeting and planning the next stages in our opposition to the development within the Shark Bay area and some good news can now be provided!
The Council has proposed the continuation of the Urban Edge along the escarpment overlooking Shark Bay. This means the council is opposed to any further development South of the Urban Edge. This is the recommendation of the consultants and the Council. The current Edge is to be maintained, so this marks a serious blow to the developer's chances of getting anything done on the site. However, we all know that people are not meant to get things done and they do, so we are remaining constantly aware of any movements and applications being made with regards to the Shark Bay area.
I set out below a recent letter to the person in change of the Scoping Report Process.
Keep the Objections coming in, the process has yet to be started due to our continued pressure!
Cheers
The Savesharkbay.org Team!
>>Dear Mr Hardcastle,
I address myself to you as an interested citizen and as a co-ordinator of
community activities in opposition to the proposals on the part of Messrs
Dormehl Properties for residential development on the farm Oesterwal 292 and
associated property, Langebaan.
Hundreds of concerned citizens have so far registered their opposition via
the Save Shark Bay website www.savesharkbay.org
all of which have been transmitted to the
consultants engaged in the EIA process. In addition the Rate Payers
Association, the Homeowners' Association, landowners with significant land
holdings bounding on the property envisaged to be developed, the West Coast
National Park (SANParks), the SA National Parks Trust and the West Coast
Biosphere Reserve as well as various interested and informed professionals
with intimate knowledge of the local ecology and the local economy have
registered their considered and nuanced opposition to the proposal and
indeed to material sections of the Scoping Report and certain elements of
the ethos in terms of which the EIA is to be conducted. We have as yet, save
for a single brief one-on-one information session with a facilitation
consultant in which we merely confirmed our earlier written submissions and
the complexity of the problem, received no further response from Messrs Doug
Jeffery (the environmental consultants) in this regard.
The area proposed lies on the shore of the lagoon, in a buffer zone
contiguous to the West Coast National Park and outside the designated urban
edge of Langebaan. In terms of the PSDF any encroachment into this area
would in our strong and motivated contention in any event constitute
unwarranted urban sprawl in contravention of the injunctions of the PSDF
since large areas within the urban edge of Langebaan as yet remain available
for residential development and in excess of 3300 developed sites in the
town of Langebaan itself (out of a total of approximately 6900) do not as
yet carry top structure- that is 3600 are as yet vacant! The functional
population of the town could therefore more than double without setting out
a single new site - a situation that is in our contention already highly
problematic in terms of sustainability within the biosphere.
We are fully conversant with the legislated EIA processes to be followed and
are aware of our right to be heard and to have our reservations, objections
and responses considered with equal weight in the final adjudication. Please
be informed that we would not be comfortable that when the Scoping Report or
EIA are presented to you our views as interested and affected parties are
represented indirectly to Province and other governmental spheres by the
consultant. Rather, we would claim the right to make direct representations
in support of our various nuanced positions, objections and responses as
interested and affected parties and constituencies duly properly registered
as such at the scoping stage. You will understand and heartily endorse our
position, I am sure, that we will under no circumstances allow any decisions
to be forced upon this community by stealth or by default. We will accept
only due transparent process leading to reasoned decisions that reflect the
best advice available and the wider interest of the entire biosphere as
provided for in the intent of our current legislation. The application of
the precautionary principle in respect of this significant Ramsar site and
unique natural area requires nothing less.
Rest assured of our commitment as interested and affected parties within
this community to positively supporting informed and appropriate development
of this part of the West Coast to the benefit of all its citizens, but not
merely to the benefit of a detached few at the expense of yet another part
of our shrinking natural heritage.
I attach for your information my own personal response to the (Draft)
Scoping Report as sent to Messrs Doug Jeffery earlier this year.
Regards
Johan Ackron
BSc(Hons),BA(Hons)(Econ),MA(P&DM) cum laude, MIMCSA
Team Leader: Local Economic Development
School of Public Management and Planning
University of Stellenbosch<< |
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Ginny
Posts:3
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| 08/19/2007 8:26 PM |
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| You're doing a great job, Rob and it sounds very hopeful that the right people are going to listen. Very impressive letters you write. But developers are a sneaky lot and Im sure this guy is going to fight any success you might have. Meantime someone should send him a picture of the flowers along the edge of the water at Shark Bay! We were there this weekend and it is spectacular, unthinkable that this can have houses built on it. Ginny |
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Ginny
Posts:3
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| 08/19/2007 8:26 PM |
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| You're doing a great job, Rob and it sounds very hopeful that the right people are going to listen. Very impressive letters you write. But developers are a sneaky lot and Im sure this guy is going to fight any success you might have. Meantime someone should send him a picture of the flowers along the edge of the water at Shark Bay! We were there this weekend and it is spectacular, unthinkable that this can have houses built on it. Ginny |
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