CAPE TOWN – The appeals against the Environmental Authorisation (EA) for the development of Cape Winelands Airport, which was granted on 27 October last year, have been dismissed by the provincial minister of local government, environmental affairs and development planning.
Anton Bredell signed his decision last Thursday, stating that he is satisfied that the information before the department was sufficient to enable a lawful and rational decision in terms of NEMA and the 2014 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations.
Six appeals lodged
Of the approximately 1 500 registered interested and affected parties, a total of six appeals were lodged by Leonard Heydenrych, two poultry farmers — one of which is County Fair, Garden Cities (a neighbouring developer), a neighbouring airfield (Morningstar Flyers Association), and five airport tenants who jointly appealed. They are Cape Town Flight Training Centre; Diepkloof Aircraft Maintenance; 4 Aviators; Helivate Helicopter Services; and WCMS CC T/A AeroSport.
Appeal withdrawn
Garden Cities’s appeal was withdrawn prior to Bredell making his decision.
The grounds for appeal differ for each of the appellants and range from concerns about the impact of noise; impact on birdlife; impact on continued operations once the airport goes into construction; and socio-economic impacts.
Other grounds for appeal include sustainability and climate change, carbon emissions, and impact on traffic.
Poultry houses
A late appeal was received from the Darson Trust, trading as Aberfeldy Farm in Klipheuwel. In their appeal, they stated that they have already received approval for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for new poultry houses to expand their farming operations on their farm Kliprug, which is adjacent to the land on which the airport is proposed.
‘Public participation was adequate’
Bredell stated in his decision: “I am further satisfied that the key environmental, social, and economic impacts were adequately identified, assessed, and considered; that the public participation process was adequate in the circumstances; that no matter material to the environmental decision was impermissibly deferred; and that the conditions of the EA and the approved Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) provide for the mitigation and management of the identified impacts.”
“In arriving at my decision on the appeal, it should be noted that I have not responded to each and every statement set out in the grounds of Appeal and/or Responding Statement, and where a particular statement is not directly addressed, the absence of any response should not be interpreted to mean that I agree with or abide by the statement made,” he said.
Bredell exercised his decision-making powers in making this decision and is now functus officio in this regard — meaning that he has completed the duties assigned to him and no longer holds any official authority or power to alter, reconsider, or reopen the matter.
“My decision is final and your only recourse, should you still be aggrieved by my decision, is to apply to the Western Cape High Court to review my decision,” he said.
Major milestone
“The approval of the EA marked a major milestone in the progression of the Cape Winelands Airport expansion project and followed an extensive environmental assessment and consultation process undertaken in full compliance with the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA).
The authorisation was the culmination of more than two years of dedicated environmental planning and public participation, including four rounds of public consultation, two open days, a town-hall meeting, and over 40 specialist studies assessing environmental, social, and technical factors,” Deidre Davids, spokesperson for Cape Winelands Airport, said earlier to TygerBurger.
The reasons for dismissing the appeals and varying the decision are contained in the EA.
All appeals, the minister’s decision, the EA, and all supporting documentation are available at https://phsconsulting.co.za/proposed-expansion-of-cape-winelands-airport. A hard copy will also be available at the Fisantekraal Public Library at 021 444 9259.
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