Question NW269 to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
26 June 2018 - NW269
America, Mr D to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1) What are the details of (a) all processes followed by the Okhahlamba Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal before it granted approval for the construction of a petrol station on sub 8 of the Heartsease Farm number 3291 which falls within the Okhahlamba World Heritage Site UNESCO buffer zone and (b) the grounds on which the approval for the development was granted; (2) whether any objections to the proposed development were submitted during the process leading up to the approval of the development by the specified municipality; if so, (a) what are the details of the submissions received and (b) how did these influence the specified municipality’s decision to grant approval for the development?
Reply:
1) (a) The process followed for all development applications are found in the Okhahlamba Planning by-law in Schedule 4 of the Okhahlamba Planning Bylaws, (Schedule 4 is attached).
(b) The approval of the application granted is in accordance with:
Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act, in favour of the Cathkin Town Planning Scheme, the zoning of the said property allows for the development of a Petrol filling station, in line with the Municipal IDP and SDF, and it addresses the gap in development within this area.
2) Yes objections were received from the notice which was placed on the local newspapers but were not Town Planning - related or environmental planning- related and seemed rather personal.
Even though the objections were not Town Planning or environmental planning- related, the municipality did take some of the objections to consideration. They were addressed or included when the municipality drafted the conditions for the approval of the application.
The municipality had a meeting with the Cathkin Ratepayers representatives, 100m radius neighbour, Ezemvelo KZN wildlife, Department of Environmental Affairs, uThukela District Office and the uThukela District Municipality planning section. The purpose of the meeting was to explain to the concerned neighbours how the decision was made and where the process is currently.
The neighbour representative from Champagne Sport resort did not raise any issues at this meeting or did not raise issues objecting to the development.
The application for the Petrol Filling station is now waiting for the approval of the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs where an Environmental Impact Assessment is currently being processed.