News from
Residents’Association of
rahb@houtbay.org.za www.houtbay.org.za
May 2008
EIA for Potential Development of the Forestry and Buffer Sites
IMIZAMO YETHU
(including
portion of Erf 2848, portion of remainder erf 2848, portion of erf 7296, erf 7309 and portion of remainder of erf
6355,
Notice has been given of a public participation process in terms of
the Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) Regulations contained in
Section 24(5) of the
National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998) (NEMA).
The City of
alternative development options put forward by CNdV
Africa are currently being considered involving different levels and types of land-use
on the sites in question. These
alternatives form the basis of the Environmental Impact Assessment process.
A copy of the Draft Basic
Assessment Report and Draft
Environmental Management Plan will be available for Public Review at
the Hout Bay Library,
If you would like to participate in the process and be notified of
opportunities to provide comment on the relevant documentation, please ensure that you register as an Interested
and Affected Party (I&AP), in writing, with Melanie van Breda (Dyssell) of Chand Environmental Consultants at PO Box 238, Plumstead,
7801; Fax: 021-762 3240; Tel: 021-762 3050 or Email: melanie@chand.co.za or
kim@chand.co.za
by no later than the 12th June 2008.
Note that in all related correspondence, I&APs should state their
interest in the
project and quote the
related DEA&DP Reference Number: E12/2/3/1-A5/241-0254/07.
City of
INTEGRATED ZONING
SCHEME
The Residents' Association of Hout Bay has examined the fourth draft of the proposed Integrated Zoning Scheme regulations and submitted general comment, as well as specific comment on Single and General Residential zoning and also on Rural/Agricultural and Limited Use zoning.
The Association has reserved the right to comment further as it was not able to examine all the proposed regulations (particularly the implications with respect to how they will impact future development and our environment) and would like to give further input once these implications are work-shopped.
The Greater Cape Town Civic Alliance, GCTCA, (of which we are a member) is submitting some quite substantial comment and the Association has supported their input.
Excerpt from GCTCA
submission:
“Is Cape Town
ready for an Integrated Zoning Scheme?
The City of Cape Town politicians and officials have made frequent
comments on the generally critical state of the infrastructure in the City
electricity distribution, water scarcity, sewer deterioration, pollution
of waterways and water bodies, lack of maintenance of roads, inadequate
landfill sites and overflowing waste water treatments – all of which are
struggling to cope with the present population, let alone increasing
urbanization and population growth.
Yet there is a
proposal, contained in the 4th draft, to densify the City's residential and
informal settlements by 100% by the granting of second dwellings as of
right. And creating additional strain on
over stretched, failing infrastructure by allowing bed and breakfasts, home
occupation and child care centres.
We submit that until
the City is in a position to cater for the additional infrastructural demands
that will be created by these secondary rights, these should all remain as
consent uses. This would give the City the opportunity to assess the
impact these secondary uses would have on infrastructure in different areas of
the City and would give neighbours an opportunity to assess their impact.
RAHB’s submission can be viewed on the website
WARD FORUM MEETING follow up
Following the Ward Forum meeting held on 11 March 2008, Len Swimmer,
Chairperson of the RAHB submitted a memorandum to Marga Haywood, Ward
Councillor Ward 74, urgently requesting the City to effect drastic changes in
the current circumstances of Imizamo Yethu for the benefit of all who live in
“In conclusion: The State, in performing its
obligations, must balance the rights and duties of both the owners of land in
SIGNAGE
The Association has requested that the matter of
the “Proliferation of illegal
signage in
BREACH OF CONDITIONS
imposed on Land
Use Departure
The activities described above are in direct breach of the
conditions imposed by the Council on the land-use departure recently granted
for Erf 4505,
Conditions imposed in terms of section 42(1) of the Land Use Planning
Ordinance (LUPO) No.15
of 1985 are that (1.3) All the drumming
activities be restricted to the basement as per attached Annexure A.(1.4.1)
that the drumming activities hereby permitted be restricted to Mondays to Saturdays from 12:00 to 17:00, excluding public holidays.
Clearly these conditions have been blatantly
disregarded. The Land Use Inspectorate
has been informed and residents await their response.
Objection to the the
The Residents’ Association of Hout Bay has submitted a request to the
Provincial Parliament not to pass this Bill in its present state as it will
drastically impact the lives of ordinary people. Our submission highlighted a
number of points, a few of which are quoted below:
It is common knowledge that shebeens
result in violent crime as well as create unbearable living conditions for
neighbouring residents due to alcohol and drug abuse, noise and other
anti-social behaviour that accompanies such institutions, very often into the
early hours of the morning.
Instead of improving an unsatisfactory situation, this Bill, as it stands, will inflict unnecessary problems on communities many of which are already reeling under extremely high crime rates.
The question of shebeens and taverns is currently in the arena of public
participation in the proposed Integrated Zoning Scheme (IZS) being dealt with
by the City of
The Association requested a further 14 specific amendments to the Bill. A copy of the submission is available on our website.
Ward Forum
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE
Dr Justin O Riain of RAHB submitted a urgent report
to the Ward Forum on the possible health and environmental hazards
associated with sewage run-off from
Excerpt:
I can state with a high degree of confidence that the
sanitation failures in the township as described to me by experts (e.g. Dr Jo
Barnes) and backed up by the E. coli
levels of the water in the surrounding water courses as provided, constitute a
serious health hazard. The burden of
disease will be disproportionately borne by the inhabitants of the settlement
themselves, but also by the population occupying the surrounding areas. The impact of the sanitation situation in
this settlement has been known for a considerable time and the lack of remedial
action will exacerbate the health hazards as time goes by.
The current uncontrolled
extension of shacks by new arrivals exacerbates the problems identified above
and creates a very serious fire hazard, as demonstrated by a series of tragic
blazes in recent years. Irregular
garbage collection, has resulted in poor refuse removal discipline. The launching of one-off clean-up campaigns
also has negative effects on the ‘waste discipline’ of township residents, many
of whom are desperately seeking work. Instead of bringing waste to the designated
sites, people have been noted dumping it between the shacks. The piles of rubbish attract rats which are
known to transmit a range of human diseases.
There have already been reports of infants having been seriously bitten
by rats within this informal settlement.
WINELANDS TOLL ROADS
RAHB has supported civic and organized
commerce’s objections to the unsolicited proposal by a private company
to turn the two main road-entrances into
This is a nasty reminder of the unfortunate
lack of proper process that occurred w.r.t. Chapman’s
BEACH SAND REMOVAL
and ROCK THEFT
Residents may have noticed recently the
bulldozing of sand dunes below the high water mark on the beach. The
Association has been monitoring the situation and can currently report that the
City Council has an exemption to carry out such “road and storm-water
maintenance” on the beach.
The theft of rock from the mountainside above Hughenden Estate has been brought to the attention of the
relevant law enforcement authorities as well as the local Ward Councilor. We await an urgent response as the risk of
erosion and damage to the habitat continues.
RAHB WEBSITE
Visit
our website and stay informed about what the Residents Association of Hout Bay
is doing. www.houtbay.org.za
(R50 per couple, R30 per individual)
Forms from Chairperson or
Library. Association’s Banking Details:
FNB,
Subscriptions may be paid electronically (please use your
full name as a reference on the payment – to ensure that we correctly credit
your membership as this information appears on our Bank Statement
If you prefer, payment may also
be dropped into our wooden box at the Library (next to the Hall doors) or
posted to our Post Office Box: 27031
Chairperson,
Residents’ Assoc of
Tel: 790-0268,
Email: lens@telkomsa.net