ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Transcription

1 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR AMENDMENT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION FOR THE HAASENDAL DEVELOPMENT ON PORTIONS 1, 11, 26, 30, 34, 58, AND 87 OF FARM HAASENDAL NO. 222, BRACKENFELL. 1. PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT The purpose of this document is to: BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT (BID) AND INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE April 2016 DEA&DP REFERENCE No: 16/3/3/5/A5/12/2007/16 Provide stakeholders with information about the proposed Amendment of the Authorisation for the Haasendal Development, in Brackenfell. Introduce and explain the Basic Assessment and Public Participation process to be followed for the proposed development, in terms of applicable environmental legislation (National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), (Act No.107 of 1998), as amended; Invite all stakeholders to register and comment on any aspect related to the proposed development between the 7 th of April and the 13 th of May PROJECT DESCRIPTION A previous Environmental Application in terms of the NEMA (2006) Regulations was undertaken by Johan Neethling Environmental Services cc in order to apply for a proposed subdivision and development on Portions 01, 11, 26, 30, 34, 58 and 87 of the Farm Haasendal no.222, Brackenfell. The application entailed the establishment of a mixed residential and commercial development with associated infrastructure, comprising of the following: Approximately 711 single residential erven varying in size from 500 to 800m², to a density of 13u/ha, Approximately 192 group housing units covering an area of approximately 4,8ha, Business units covering an area of approximately 2,3ha, 29,2ha for public and private open space, and Internal roads and municipal bulk services such as water, sewerage, storm water and electricity. P.O. Box

2 This previous application included also included a narrow strip of land (previously Portion 87 of Farm 222) toward the east of the Kuils River Golf Course and adjacent to the future Okavango Road to be developed for single residential units. Proposed Amendment: It is important to note that this amendment only pertains to the section of the approved development toward the north of the Bottelary River and within the site boundary as per the existing approval and as detailed in the amended Site Development Plans included herewith. The main reason for the amendment is due to a request from the City of Cape Town obtained during the LUPO process to substantially increase the density of the development. It was also noted that there is a large market demand for business and retail space along the Saxdowns road to form part of this development. The applicant and the City of Cape Town has had numerous meetings in order to discuss the density and layout composition of the development and the layout as currently proposed was agreed to by both parties. The City indicated that the previous approved proposal (DEA&DP Ref: E12/2/3/2-A4/ /06) did not include enough density for development in this area. It should also be mentioned that the greater Haasendal Estate in future will include a redesign of the existing Kuils River Golf Course to be included as part of the Haasendal Estate. A separate Environmental Process will, however be conducted for later phases and this includes the approved section toward the south of the Bottelary River as these land uses have not yet been determined. The purpose of this amendment is thus for a change in the land use composition of the area within the approved site boundary and toward the north of the Bottelary River. These include approval for the following which is to be discussed as per the nodes and numbers provided on the Haasendal Entrance Precinct Site Plan (22 November 2015) as well as the Haasendal Subdivision Plan with Plan No. Haasendal_Deadp1 (20 January 2016): Node 1 Open Space (as per Subdivision Plan Haasendal_Deadp1) This node is zoned Open Space and will act as a green interface between Turnberry Village and the Bottelary Road. This node is 1.04ha in extent and was not provided for as per the previously approved SDP. Node 2 The Links (as per Subdivision Plan Haasendal_Deadp1) This node is zoned General Residential II and comprises three story apartment buildings consisting of 2 bedroom apartments. A total of 187 two bedroom units are included in The Links development as well as garages, and communal recreational areas. The total size of this node is 1.50ha with a bulk of m 2. This node was included as per the previous approval although then indicated as 4.8 ha of general residential. P.O. Box

3 Node 3 Turnberry Village (as per Subdivision Plan Haasendal_Deadp1) This node is currently under construction as it was designated as phase 1 of the greater Haasendal Estate and a number of these houses have been constructed. This node is zoned Single Residential 1 and comprises 10ha in extent and 251 single story units. This node was included as per the previous approval although then comprising a smaller area and different roads layout. Nodes 4 and 5 General Residential (as per Subdivision Plan Haasendal_Deadp1) These nodes comprise 0.24ha and 0.85ha respectively and is situated adjacent to one another. These two nodes does not form part of this amendment and will be included in future applications to the department. Node 6 Haasendal Mall (as per Haasendal Entrance Precinct Site Plan) This node comprises the Haasendal Mall which is zoned Business and comprises 5.26ha. The Gross lettable area for the mall is m 2. The sections of the site which fall within the Eskom servitudes will be designated parking areas. A total of 889 parking bays have been provided. A shopping center was previously included although only 2,3ha in size. Node 7 Open Space (as per Haasendal Entrance Precinct Site Plan) This is a small open space node which serves as a green barrier between the Haasendal Mall and the Filling station site. The total extent is 0.1ha. Node 8 Filling Station (as per Haasendal Entrance Precinct Site Plan) This node will comprise a filling station and a fast food restaurant. The node will be zoned Business V and will comprise 0.70ha in extent. Seeing as the filling station will store more than liters of petrol on site the approval of this node 8 is currently undergoing a separate EIA (Basic Assessment) application, with DEA&DP Ref: 16/3/3/6/7/1/A5/11/2398/15. Node 9 Mixed Use Node with Day Hospital (as per Haasendal Entrance Precinct Site Plan) This node comprises of a number of mixed land uses including offices, residential, business (restaurant), retail as well as a day hospital. The day hospital will be 5 stories high and the residential component 6 stories. The commercial component will be 1699m 2, the restaurant 452m 2, the offices 247.2m 2, and the residential component 6 301m 2. The total site area is 0.99ha and provision is made for basement parking as well as ground floor parking. Node 10A Car Dealership (as per Haasendal Entrance Precinct Site Plan) This node will consist of a car dealership and the gross lettable area will comprise 2500m 2. The site will be zoned business and 91 Parking bays have also been provided on site. P.O. Box

4 Node 10B Restaurant (as per Haasendal Entrance Precinct Site Plan) This node will consist of a proposed restaurant and an Art Gallery. It should be noted that the specific land use of this node have not yet been finalized and could change in future, although the gross lettable area will comprise 4500m 2. The site will be zoned business. Node 10C Offices (as per Haasendal Entrance Precinct Site Plan) This node will comprise two office blocks comprising 3280 m 2 and 1334m 2 gross lettable area respectively. It should be noted that the specific land use of this node have not yet been finalized and could change in future. Block A will include three story office floors and a mezzanine totaling a GLA of 3280m 2. Block B will include three story office floors including a coffee shop and will total 1337m 2. The site will be zoned business. Node 11A Self Storgae (as per Haasendal Entrance Precinct Site Plan) This node will comprise self-storage units and the company of Stor-age have been approached who will conduct the business at the site. The total gross lettable area associated with this node is 7 000m 2 and the site will be zoned business. Node 11B - (as per Haasendal Entrance Precinct Site Plan) At this stage it is deemed that this site will be utilized for a restaurant although this could change in future. The GLA proposed for the site at this stage is 1 000m 2 in extent. As part of the previously approved site development plan, Single Residential units have been approved toward the direct east of nodes 11A and 11B. These units are indicated on the Haasendal Entrance Precinct Site Plan as Duplex Units although it does not form part of this amendment application and will be included in future applications to the Department. The nodes to be included and approved as part of this amendment application thus includes (as per Haasendal Entrance Precinct Site Plan), Turnberry Village, The Links General Residential at the intersection of Bottelary Road and Saxdowns Road, Haasendal Mall - node 6, The Filling Station - node 8 (a separate NEMA process underway DEA&DP Ref: 16/3/3/6/7/1/A5/11/2398/15), Mixed Use with day hospital - node 9, Car dealership - node 10A, Restaurant and Art Gallery - node 10B, Offices - node 10C, Self-Storage - node 11A, and node 11B. None of the Single Residential nodes including nodes 13 and 16 as per the Haasendal Subdivision Plan, nor the General Residential nodes 4 and 5 form part of this amendment. These will be applied for to the department in future. Given all the detail above, GNEC is of the opinion that the proposed Amendment will thus have a smaller development footprint and a lesser impact on the receiving environment. Due to the increase in commercial footprint in relation to the previously approved Site Development Plan (2009) the impact on civil services will also be significantly reduced. Furthermore given the increase in commercial footprint a comment was obtained from the traffic engineers who conducted all previous traffic assessments. The traffic to be generated by the Proposed Amendment will be higher than the previously approved proposal, although it can still be accommodated within the road network. Should P.O. Box

5 upgrades be required, such as the doubling of Bottelary Road between Saxdowns Road and Amandel Road in future, this has already been approved by the Department in a separate full EIA application. The location of the bridge across the Bottelary River in the vicinity of the drainage line, have also been amended. The previous approved proposal, included the bridge over the Bottelary River toward the immediate west of the Bottelary River and has now been amended to lead along the immediate east of the tributary as per The bridge over Bottelary River for Haasendal Phase 02, Drawing Number bottelary bridge. It was confirmed with the Freshwater Ecologist who conducted the previous assessment that this will not have any adverse impacts on the Bottelary River and that the impacts will remain the same. The confirmation from the freshwater ecologist is included as Annexure G. The site is currently zoned as Subdivisional Area as the end use for the site was still undetermined prior to this application for a service station being formalized. The site is perfectly located to be developed for this purpose as there are numerous existing residential developments in the area with numerous residential, commercial and warehousing developments approved in the area. The Bottelary Road leading approximately 400m toward the north of the site is also a very busy road and it is further expected that once Saxdowns Road is extended toward Lagverwacht Road that the area will see a significant increase in traffic. Toward the north of the site is the approved Haasendal Mall and toward the east a small Business Park which is yet to be constructed. Toward the south of the site storage facilities and commercial activities has been approved. Bulk services are currently under construction in this area by the applicant and connection points will be made available along the development. Definition of a Substantive Amendment In terms of Regulation 31 of the Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA ) Regulations (Government Notice No. R. 982 of 4 December 2014) promulgated in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998) ( NEMA ), which states the following: An environmental authorisation may be amended by following the process prescribed in this Part of the amendment will result in a change to the scope of a valid environmental authorisation where such change will result in an increased level or nature of impact where such level or nature of impact was not (a) assessed and included in the initial application for environmental authorisation; or (b) taken into consideration in the initial environmental authorisation P.O. Box

6 3. POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Potential environmental issues that will be addressed in the assessment include inter alia: Noise There will be a temporary noise impact due to construction vehicles, however this will be short lived. During the operational phase of the activity, the site will attract more noise as a result of cars to the site, although this aspect was taken into account in the original approval. Traffic There will be construction vehicles moving to and from the site during the construction phase of the upgrade; however this will only be temporary till construction is complete. A preliminary feasibility was done for the amendment purposes and it was found that the new proposal would have an increased traffic impact. Upgrades to the intersection at Saxdowns Road and Bottelary Road, as well as the dualling of Bottelary Road would need to be conducted. Visual Impacts There will be an increased visual impact as a result of some of one the buildings being 9 storey s in height. Freshwater / Groundwater No additional impacts on freshwater resources will occur as confirmed by the freshwater consultant who conducted the previous assessments. Botanical No additional botanical impacts will occur as the development footprint has previously been approved. Economic The proposed development should have a significant impact on the greater Brackenfell area. It will be a significant economic injection to the area and will increase property values as a result of the significant commercial node to be constructed including amenities. P.O. Box

7 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION In terms of the NEMA, public participation forms an integral part of the environmental assessment process. The public participation process provides people who may be affected by the proposed development with an opportunity to provide comment and to raise issues of concern about the project or to make suggestions that may result in enhanced benefits for the project. Comments and issues raised during the public participation process will be captured, evaluated and included in a Comment and Response Report. These issues will be addressed and included in the final, amendment application which will be submitted to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP). 5. DELIVERABLES The final amendment application will be submitted to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP), the regulatory authority responsible for the review of the report. The DEA&DP has to reach a decision as to whether, and under what conditions, the project may proceed, based on environmental considerations. An environmental authorization will be issued based on the information provided in the amendment application. Interested and Affected Parties who have registered will be notified of the environmental authorisation. P.O. Box

8 6. INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE GNEC was appointed as an independent environmental consultancy by Amphoria (Pty) Ltd to facilitate the amendment application and public participation process for the proposed project. A copy of the amendment report will be made available at the Brackenfell Public Library in Paradys Street, Brackenfell. For inquiries, please contact the library at (021) Alternatively a copy of the report is also available on the GNEC website at To register as an Interested and Affected Party, please complete and return the enclosed registration sheet and submit any written comments to: GNEC Att: Mr Renier Kapp P.O. Box 2632,, 7620 Tel: Fax: Cell: renier@gnec.co.za GNEC Ref No: DEA&DP Ref No: 16/3/3/5/A5/12/2007/16 Please submit the registration sheet to GNEC by no later than Friday 13 May P.O. Box

9 AMENDMENT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION FOR THE HAASENDAL DEVELOPMENT ON PORTIONS 1, 11, 26, 30, 34, 58, AND 87 OF FARM HAASENDAL NO. 222, BRACKENFELL. Title Company Name/Interest Postal-or-Residential Address Area Tel: Fax: Address REGISTRATION AND COMMENT SHEET April 2016 DEA&DP REFERENCE No: 16/3/3/5/A5/12/2007/16 GNEC REF: Name and Surname Postal Code Cell Phone Please indicate you preferred method of communication (Please indicate with an X) Fax Post Comments (You are welcome to attach more sheets if necessary (Your comments will be considered in the EIA (BA) process) Please provide details of any other person/company whom you would like us to add to our mailing list Title Company Name Tel: Name and Surname Fax No: Please complete and return to GNEC by no later than Friday 13 May 2016 Attention: Mr Renier Kapp P.O. Box 2632,, 7620 Tel: , Fax: , Cell: , Thank You for your participation P.O. Box