Question NW268 to the Minister of Environmental Affairs
05 March 2018 - NW268
Lees, Mr RA to ask the Minister of Environmental Affairs
Whether Sub 8 of the Heartsease Farm number 3291 in the Okhahlamba Local Municipality, in KwaZulu-Natal, where the construction of a petrol station is proposed, falls within the proposed United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization buffer zone surrounding the Okhahlamba World Heritage Site; if so, what steps has her Department taken to ensure that the proposed construction does not proceed; if not, what are the relevant details; and (2) whether her Department conducted any research and/or studies to determine the potential impact of the proposed construction on the tourism sector that is linked to the World Heritage Site; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the outcomes?
Reply:
1. Yes, the anticipated development is within the proposed buffer zone of Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site. The draft Basic Assessment Report (BAR) is still under review, and it is important to note that the decision on whether the development proceeds or not and under what conditions will be informed by the assessment that has been commissioned. Because the proposed development is in the vicinity of the World Heritage Site, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Practice Note on Environmental Impact Assessments and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Guidelines on Heritage Impact Assessment will be taken into consideration, as required by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
2. The Basic assessment process will ascertain, inter alia, any socio-economic and cultural considerations, including relevant studies and permissions to be sought in this regard, not excluding those relating to or relevant tourism and conservation of the world heritage property.
---ooOoo---