URGENT NEWS
February 7th 2010
"The Langebaan Action Group has always stood for objectivity and transparent due process in the matter of the adjudication in terms of statute of the Shark Bay/Klein Oostewal development proposal. I therefore gratefully acknowledge the error brought to my attention in connection with our statement on the website accompanying the posting on the site of the full original text of the letter E12/2/3/2-F2/7-0460/08 dated 9 October 2009 directed to the proposers of the Shark Bay development in respect of "ACCEPTANCE OF THE SCOPING REPORT("SR") AND PLAN OF STUDY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT ("EIA") FOR THE PROPOSED SHARK BAY DEVELOPMENT ON THE REMAINDER OF THE FARM OOSTEWAL NO,292, OFF OOSTEWAL ROAD IN LANGEBAAN". The letter in question did in fact not emanate from the "MEC" as incorrectly indicated in our statement but from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, and was signed on behalf of the Head of Department as those who engaged with the full text of the original letter accompanying our statement and released in the spirit of transparency would immediately have gathered.
We regret this error and continue to encourage inputs on matters of fact and perception in the interest of enriching objective debate toward a resolution of the issue of the development of the Restante of Oostewal 292 that has been a recurring and emotive theme in the Langebaan community since the 1980's.
Johan Ackron
Convenor: Langebaan Action Group"
URGENT FEBRUARY 2nd 2010 [Edited]
Please see for more info after reading this : DEADP Response and conditions set out
"Regular participants in the activities of this site who have registered as Interested and Affected Parties (I & AP's) would by now have received notice of yet another step in the seemingly interminable efforts by the proposed developers of the Klein Oostewal/Shark Bay property on the south-east shores of Langebaan Lagoon to force their proposals through in the face of consistent and vehement opposition by the community, conservationists and other concerned citizens.
The draft Scoping Report setting out the EIA process to be followed was approved by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning on 9 October 2009 subject to a host of requirements and obligations to be addressed, and reflecting many of the concerns that we who have opposed this development have raised since 2006. Most significantly the Department's letter points out to the applicant as we have on numerous occasions that "....the property is earmarked (variously) as West Coast National Park and Langebaan Nature Area, Buffer Conservation, Ecological Corridor, Conservation 1 or as Critical Biodiversity Area ... and it can be concluded that all the forward planning documentation for the area (has) envisaged the protection from development on the property under discussion..." . We have posted the full text of the Department's letter on this website. As we have from the start maintained, the proposed developer must amongst a host of other things prove need in terms of Section 32 of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) for development of the site, which he has thusfar failed to do, and will for a variety of reasons already reflected in our comment since 2006 have great difficulty in doing.
The Scoping Report and these specific additional requirements reflected in the Department's letter now form the context within which a detailed EIA process is to take place. This is required to comprise a comprehensive popular participation process as well. We request that all who wish to be part of this process and support us in our ongoing opposition to attempts to further despoil the Shark Bay area on our lagoon shore register immediately as before as Interested and Affected Parties (I & AP's) to receive the relevant documentation. To do so please send your name and contact details to:
Doug Jeffery Environmental Consultants
(Attention: Lindsay Speirs)
P.O.Box 44
Klapmuts
7625
Republic of South Africa
Telephone: +27 21 875 5272
Facsimile: +27 21 875 5515
e-Mail: lindsay@dougjeff.co.za
If you prefer to receive your documentation by physical mail rather than electronically we urge you to request that it be sent to you by registered post. It would probably be advisable to do this anyway to ensure that you receive all critical information in hard copy.
The Langebaan Action Group is as before arranging to facilitate submission of comment on the (Draft) Environmental Impact Report to the environmental consultants before the deadline of 10 March 2010.
Keep informed and participate as before via this website and continue to assist us to put a stop to gratuitous development of what remains of our natural lagoon shores.
Johan Ackron
Convenor: Langebaan Action Group"