PROPOSED ‘MFULENI EMERGENCY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT’, EXTENSION 1, ON A PORTION OF REMAINDER ERF 327 AND A PORTION OF REMAINDER ERF 1, CITY OF CAPE TOWN, WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE (DEA&DP REFERENCE NUMBER: 16/3/3/6/7/1/A4/43/3144/22)

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 525 and 562 formal residential serviced sites and to include services such as electricity, sewerage accommodation and potable water supply to each erf. The Extension 1 site forms part of a larger project of the City of Cape Town to create serviced erven in the Mfuleni area, approximately 2 390 serviced sites in total.

The proposed site, Extension 1, is made up of a Portion of Remainder Erf 327 (Erven 192 – 195, 201 – 204) and a Portion of Remainder Erf 1 (Erven 196 – 198, 302 -308). It is located in Mfuleni, within the municipal boundary of the City of Cape Town. The site bounded by Eerste River Way to the east and Mfuleni Road to the south.

The aim of the project is for the enhancement and improvement of the Mfuleni area by providing an informal settlement upgrade. This will provide opportunities for the Mfuleni community and act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the area and its surroundings.

PROJECT PROPOSAL

The proposed development entails the construction of between 525 and 562 formal residential serviced sites, to assist in meeting the need for low-cost housing in the Mfuleni area. The intention is to provide serviced sites which will be allocated to eligible beneficiaries on the City of Cape Town housing application list in the Mfuleni area. As the proposed development will create formal housing opportunities, together with the associated bulk services, it will serve as an informal settlement upgrade.

The proposed housing development will include the following:

• Full development of a greater portion of Extension 1 for the establishment of residential serviced sites connected to water, sewer, and electrical services.
• Provision of erven zoned for community facilities (including medical facilities) and business use.
• Establishment of stormwater management infrastructure.
• Construction of internal roads.

ALTERNATIVES

Two layout alternatives have been formulated. Similar to both layout alternatives are the features listed in the bullet points above. The table below shows the differences between the two layout alternatives for the Extension 1 project site.

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 27: The clearance of an area of 1 hectare or more, but less than 20 hectares of indigenous vegetation.
• Activity 26: Developments of 1 000 square metres or more, on land previously used for mining. The proposed development will be located in an area where mining (illegal by others) has taken place.

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

• Activity 4: The development of a road wider than 4 metres with a reserve less than 13,5 metres.
• 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.

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
• Loss of faunal species of conservation concern habitat due to housing development
• Loss of vegetation and ecological processes during the construction phase
• 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

• 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

• Household Waste Accumulation
• Community upliftment through the provision of residential and community erven
• Contribution to economic development through the introduction of erven zoned for business use.
• Social upliftment through the provision of easy access to medical facilities. The proposed hospital will positively impact on the Ext 1 precinct and the broader community.

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings of the above summarized impact assessment, Alternative 1 has been identified as the preferred alternative. While Alternative 1 provides 37 less erven as services sites, it makes provision for a hospital to be built. The development of a hospital will provide easy access to medical facilities not only for the Extension 1 precinct, but also for the broader community. Nonetheless, both layout alternatives would result in the complete loss of the current botanical 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 Alternative 1 is slightly greater, making it the preferred alternative The need for a hospital was identified by the community which makes it preferred from the social facilities perspective.

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.

 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 following will be undertaken for the second public participation iteration. The Revised BAR will be distributed to the registered I&APs and relevant Organs of State for their perusal and comment from 02 June to 03 July 2023 by the following means:

• Distribution of the 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.
• Compilation of a Comments and Responses Table to document all comments received.
• The 30-day commenting period will commence on 02 June to 03 July 2023.
• Where written comments cannot be provided, provision will be made for telephonic communication.

WAY FORWARD

This revised Basic Assessment Report is being made available for a 30-day commenting period from 02 June until 03 July 2023 The revised BAR and all appendices are available for perusal at www.enviropart.co.za.

Comments on this report may be submitted on or before 03 July 2023 to:

The Environmental Partnership

P O Box 945, Cape Town, 8000

Tel: 021 422 0999

Email: comments@enviropart.co.za

Basic Assessment Report

Extension 1_DBAR

Appendices

Appendix A1 – Locality Map

Appendix B1 – Site Development Plans

Appendix B2 – Environmental Sensitivity Map

Appendix C- Site-Photographs

Appendix E1 – NID Response from HWC

Appendix E2 – CapeNature_Ext 1 Comments

Appendix E3 – DWS Comment

Appendix E10 – DEADP Comment

Appendix E11 – DEA&DP_Directorate_Pollution and Chemicals Management

Appendix E16 – CoCT Comments

Appendix E17_Services Confirmation

Appendix E21_Specialist ToR

Appendix F – Public Participation Report

Appendix G(i)(a)- Botanical Assessment Report (Nicolson, 2022)

Appendix G(i)(b)-Botanical Offset Report (Nicolson,2022)

Appendix G(i)(c) – Botanical Offset Review Letter (Brownlie, 2023)

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

Appendix G(ii)(b) – Translocation Plan of the Cape Dwarf Chameleon

Appendix G(iii) (a)- Butterfly Sensitivity Study (Edge, June 2022)

Appendix G(iii) (b) – Butterfly Survey and Terrestrial Biodiversity CS (Edge, November 2022)

Appendix G(iv) – Traffic Impact Assessment (Mowana Engineers, 2022)

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

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

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 – Engineering 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 – Final Court Order_Sandmining Ext1

Appendix R(i) – CapeNature_Offset Confirmation Letter of Support

Appendix R(ii) – CoCT_Offset Confirmation Letter of Support