PROPOSED BOSASA LINK ‘MFULENI EMERGENCY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT’ ON A PORTION OF PORTION 3 OF FARM 952 STELLENBOSCH, A PORTION OF REMAINDER ERF 1, AND A PORTION OF REMAINDER ERF 987 (UNREGISTERED ERF 10263), CITY OF CAPE TOWN, WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE (DEA&DP REFERENCE: 16/3/3/6/7/1/A4/43/3136/22)

The Information Sheet is a summary of the Basic Assessment Report and is available at the hyperlink.

INTRODUCTION

An Environmental Basic Impact Assessment Report (BAR) has been compiled in support of an Environmental Impact Assessment being undertaken for the proposed construction of a residential development project in the form of serviced sites in the Mfuleni area. The City of Cape Town, the proponent, intends to develop between 713 and 756 formal residential serviced sites to include electricity, sewerage infrastructure and potable water supply to each site. The Bosasa Link site forms part of a larger project of the City of Cape Town to develop serviced sites in the Mfuleni area along with the necessary bulk infrastructure that would be required.

The site is partially bounded by existing housing developments to the northwest and southeast and bounded by the M49/Old Faure Road in the South and the M32/Spine Road Ext in the North. Please see Appendix A1: Locality Map.

PROJECT PROPOSAL

The proposed development entails the construction of between 713 and 756 formal residential serviced sites, to assist in meeting the need for low-cost housing in the Mfuleni area. The proposed development is intended to provide serviced sites which will be largely allocated to eligible beneficiaries on the City of Cape Town housing application list in the Mfuleni area. The development will include the following:

• Full development of the north-eastern portion of Bosasa Link for the establishment of residential serviced sites connected to water, sewer, and electrical services.
• Provision of some erven zoned for open space, community facilities, and business use.
• Establishment of stormwater attenuation infrastructure
• Construction of internal roads, drainage infrastructure and lighting.

ALTERNATIVES

Two layout alternatives have been formulated. Common to both alternatives are the features listed in the bullet points above. The table below show the differences between the two layout alternatives. Figure 1 shows the Site Development Plan (SDP) for Alternative 1, which is the preferred alternative. The SDP for Alternative 2 is appended to the BAR as Appendix B1.

LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS

The 2014 National Environmental Management Act [NEMA] Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations of 2014, as amended, apply to the proposed development and necessitate a Basic Assessment Process. The proposed development includes activities listed in GN983 of the 2014 EIA Regulations, as amended. These are:

Listing Notice 1 (GNR 983 of 2014, as amended)

•  Activity 19: The infilling or depositing of any material of more than 10 cubic metres into, or the dredging, excavation, removal or moving of soil, sand, shells, shell grit, pebbles or rock of more than 10 cubic metres from a watercourse.
• Activity 27: The clearance of an area of 1 hectares or more, but less than 20 hectares of indigenous vegetation.

Listing Notice 3 (GNR 983 of 2014, as amended)

•  Activity 12: The clearance of an area of 300 square metres or more of indigenous vegetation in the Western Cape within critical biodiversity areas identified in bioregional plans.

In addition to NEMA, the National Water Act (36 of 1998) is applicable to the proposed development. As the proposed activity will result in the infilling of wetlands, Sections 21 (c) and (i) of the Act are applicable, referring to the impeding or diverting the flow of water in a watercourse, and altering the bed, banks, course or characteristics of a watercourse, respectively. Thus, a Water Use Authorisation is being applied for with the Department of Water and Sanitation

IMPACTS IDENTIFIED

The table in the Information Sheet provides a summary of the identified potential impacts in the BAR before and after mitigation. Below is a list of the impacts that have been identified and assessed:

Planning and Design Phase

• Loss of faunal habitat due to housing development
• Direct loss of seasonal depression wetlands
• Loss of Vegetation and ecological processes
• Socio-economic impact of the provision of serviced sites
• Socio-economic impact of the provision of erven zoned for community and business use
• Compatibility of the proposed development with surrounding land uses

Construction Phase

• Degradation of remnant wetlands
• Loss of vegetation and ecological processes during the construction phase
• Waste management impacts during the construction phase
• Dust impacts during the construction phase
• Noise impacts during the construction phase
• Visual impacts of construction activities and vegetation clearing
• Traffic impacts due to construction vehicles
• Employment opportunities during the construction phase

 Operational Phase

• Indirect wetland loss as a result of development proximity and surrounding land use
• Water quality impacts into the Kuils River as a result of polluted stormwater runoff
• Loss of vegetation and ecological processes during the operational phase
• Stormwater management impacts during the operational phase

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings of the above summarised impact assessment, Layout Alternative 1 has been identified as the preferred alternative. This is largely because Layout Alternative 1 provides 43 additional erven as services sites. Nonetheless, both layout alternatives would result in the complete loss of the current aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity on the site. As such, while the negative biophysical impacts of the two alternatives would be the same, the positive socio-economic impact of Layout Alternative 1 is greater, making it the preferred alternative.

Although high negative impacts have been identified in this Basic Assessment Report, the nature of the area, the needs of the communities, and the current and future sustainability of the sensitive ecological areas necessitates that suitable offsets be found to compensate to some extent for the loss of the identified biophysical areas on this site. The socio-economic positive impacts of this development, with the reality that the ecological sensitive areas cannot be practically conserved and properly managed in the future, makes the offset process applicable in this case. Authorisation for the proposed residential development is thus recommended provided that that all offset conditions that will be formulated are adhered to by the applicant, the City of Cape Town Municipality.

 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Public participation is a key component of the environmental assessment process as it introduces the proposed activity to the public and provides an opportunity for comments and concerns to be raised. Public participation will be undertaken in terms of Section 41 of the 2014 NEMA: EIA Regulations, as amended.

The draft Basic Assessment Report will be made available to the broader public, identified Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) and Organs of State for their perusal and comment from 6 March 2023 until 6 April 2023 by the following means:

• Distribution of an Information Sheet (summary of the revised BAR) to registered I&APs.
• Distribution of copies of the revised BAR to relevant state departments for comment.
• Placement of a copy of the revised BAR on The Environmental partnership’s website, enviropart.co.za.

WAY FORWARD

This draft Basic Assessment Report is being made available for a 30-day commenting period from 6 March 2023 until 6 April 2023.

The BAR and all appendices are available for perusal at www.enviropart.co.za.

All comments and concerns raised by I&APs in this commenting period will be addressed by the EAP and project team. Upon completion of the 30-day period, a PPP Report will be compiled and appended to Final BAR to be submitted to DEA&DP.

Comments on this report may be submitted on or before 6 April 2023 to:

The Environmental Partnership

P O Box 945, Cape Town, 8000

Tel: 021 422 0999

Email: comments@enviropart.co.za

Basic Assessment Report

Mfuleni – Bosasa Link Basic assessment Report

Appendices

Appendix A1 – Locality Map

Appendix B1 – Site Development Plans

Appendix B2 – Environmental Sensitivity Maps

Appendix C – Site Photographs

Appendix D – Biodiversity Overlay Maps

Appendix E1(i) – NID Response from HWC

Appendix E2 – Copy of comment from CapeNature (PPP1)

Appendix E3 – Comment from DSW (PPP1)

Appendix E10 (i) – Comment from DEA&DP_Development Management Region 1 (PPP1)

Appendix E16 – Comment from the local authority (City of Cape Town) (PPP1)

Appendix E17 – Confirmation of all services (water, electricity, sewage, solid waste management)

Appendix E21 – Proof of agreement and TOR of Specialist studies conducted

Appendix E22 – Proof of land use rights (Zoning Map)

Appendix G(i) – Aquatic Ecosystems Assessment Report including Offset Recommendations (Day 2022)

Appendix G(ii) – Botanical Assessment Report (Nicolson, 2022)

Appendix G(iii) – Faunal Screening Report (Jackson, 2022)

Appendix G(iv) – Butterfly Survey and Terrestrial Biodiversity CS (Edge, 2022)

Appendix G(v) – Geotechnical Investigation Report (SRK, 2021)

Appendix G(vi) – Traffic Impact Assessment (Mowana Engineers,2021)

Appendix G(vi) – Traffic Impact Assessment Addendum (GIBB, 2022)

Appendix G(vii) – Botanical Offset Report (Nicolson, 2022)

Appendix H – Environmental Management Programme

Appendix I(i) – Screening Tool Report

Appendix I(ii) – Site Sensitivity Verification Report

Appendix K – Need and Desirability Document

Appendix L – Bulk Services Report

Appendix M – Stormwater Management Plan

Appendix N – Master Landscape Plan

Appendix O – NOI Response from DEA&DP

Appendix P – Map of Greater Mfuleni Housing Development Project

Appendix Q (i) – Wetlands Offset confirmation letter of support City BMB

Appendix Q (ii) – Botanical Offset confirmation letter of support CapeNature

Appendix Q (iii) – Biodiversity Offset confirmation letter of support City SP&EM

Appendix F – Pre Application Phase PPP Information