BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT (BID)

Transcription

1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT (BID) ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OF TWO TOWNSHIPS WITHIN THE REMAINDER OF THE FARM RUNDU TOWNLANDS No The purpose of this document is to: Provide a brief background to the project; Explain what the Environmental Assessment (EA) process entails; and Invite Interested and Affected Parties (I&AP s) to comment on the proposed project. INTRODUCTION The Rundu Town Council (RTC) and it Public Private Partner, Armstrong Construction cc, in an effort to plan for the future development of Rundu proposes to undertake the establishment of two townships (mostly residential in nature) within the Remainder of the Farm Rundu Townlands. The proposed townships cover a total area of approximately 93 ha and are located to the west of the Tungu Township Devleopment (see Figure 1): Portion 130 (to be known as Rundu Extension 31 approx. 307 erven); and Portion 131 (to be known as Rundu Extension 32 approx. 282 erven). Township Establishment is one of a suite of the town planning instruments used for future spatial planning. In particular Township Establishment is a large scale form of subdivision of land for urban use. An application for the proposed developments was submitted to the Namibian Planning Advisory Board (NAMPAB) in August Before the application can be approved, the RTC needs to obtain an Environmental Clearance Certificate from the Directorate of Environmental Affairs. Enviro Dynamics has been appointed to conduct an EA and develop a management plan for the proposed developments. The management plan is a legally binding document which is used for the duration of a project life cycle (planning, construction and decommissioning phases of a project) to mitigate all impacts identified during the course of the EA process that are associated with the proposed developments. As part of the regulated EA process Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) should be informed of the proposed developments and their input, concerns, and opinions obtained. Matters raised by I&APs will, among other matters, be addressed as part of the EA process.

2 Figure 1: Location of the proposed establishment of two townships within the Remainder of the Farm Rundu Townlands No. 1329

3 NEED FOR THE DEVELOPMENTS The population of Rundu is growing at a fast rate, currently calculated at an annual rate of 5.5%, which is significantly higher than the national annual population growth rate of 1.4% (between 2001 and 2011). This increased urbanisation is due, in part, to ruralurban in-migration and also the rapidly growing local economy. The RTC has not been able to adequately address the need for serviced residential erven for the middle to high income groups owing to current council priorities. The RTC s focus in recent months and years has been on addressing the housing needs of Rundu s poorer communities as well as the planning of future business areas. As such there is a shortage of serviced erven for the middle and high income group. Given the abovementioned considerations, it is clear that there is a need for serviced erven for the middle to high income group. PROPOSED TOWNSHIP LAYOUT AND LAND USES The information contained in this section is based on the planning applications submitted for the proposed developments to NAMPAB by Stubenrauch Planning Consultants and the Rundu Town Planning Scheme (2004). The two townships, their detailed layout and land use designations are briefly described below. A Town Planning Scheme (TPS) is a document, which describes existing land uses and serves, to a limited extent, as a reference for the future spatial development of a town and its land use patterns. This document is legally binding on the local authority and those resident within the geographical bounds of the TPS. A TPS defines primary, consent and prohibited uses for land uses defined in the TPS. A Primary Use is a use for which no permission is required from the local authority. In contrast the Consent Use of a given land use requires permission from the local authority before such an activity may be implemented. RESIDENTIAL AND BUSINESS LAND USE According to the Rundu TPS (2004) only a Dwelling Unit may be constructed as a primary use on land zoned Single Residential, while Flats and a Town House may be constructed as a primary use on land zoned General Residential. The Rundu TPS (2004) permits one unit ( flat or Town House ) per 100 m² (highest density for land zoned General Residential. There is currently no housing density specified in the Rundu TPS (2004) for erven zoned Single Residential. Guidance for the RTC, with respect to applications for subdivision of erven zoned Single Residential, is provided by the Rundu Structure Plan (2004), which prescribes a maximum density of 350 m². RUNDU EXTENSIONS 2 AND 3 Both of the proposed extensions have the majority of their erven zoned Single Residential. The total approximate number of erven will be 600 and will range in sizes from 500 m² to 800 m². Several erven zoned Business are also provided for within the layout. The proposed townships are located along the northern banks of an ephemeral river known as the Fontein Omuramba. This river drains northward into the Okavango River.

4 MUNICIPAL SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE RUNDU EXTENSIONS 2 AND 3 Armstrong Construction will be responsible for the installation of the services infrastructure (i.e. sewerage, potable water, stormwater, and electricity reticulation) for the proposed extensions. The services infrastructure for the proposed townships will be developed in collaboration with the Tunga township development, which is located to the east, adjacent to the proposed Rundu Extension 31. The services will be connected to the existing municipal services network. Once constructed the RTC will take over responsibility for the maintenance of the infrastructure. The RTC is aware that the existing bulk water infrastructure needs to be upgraded in order to address matters concerned with water pressure. Armstrong Construction in collaboration with the developer for the Tunga township development will be responsible for these upgrades. The proposed extensions will require access to the C45 Main Road (see Figure 1) and because it is a Roads Authority road, requires the necessary approval. This approval has been obtained. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT end of this stage if no significant impacts (impacts that require further specialist investigation) are discovered. AIMS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: The aims of this EA process are: To comply with Namibia s Environmental Management Act (2007) and its regulations (2012); To identify existing environmental conditions and associated environmental sensitivities within and adjacent to the development area that may potentially be affected; To inform I&APs and relevant authorities of the details of the proposed developments and to provide them with a reasonable opportunity to participate during this EA process; To assess the significance of issues and concerns raised; To compile a report addressing all identified issues and potential impacts related to various aspects of the proposed developments; To compile an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) which includes recommendations and methods to minimise the identified negative environmental impacts of the proposed developments. Enviro Dynamics will follow the Environmental Assessment process prescribed in the Environmental Management Act (7 of 2007) Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations (2012) to identify potential impacts associated with the proposed project. It should be noted that the Scoping stage, which is the first stage of an EA process is currently underway. The EA process will terminate at the

5 POTENTIAL IMPACTS IDENTIFIED SO FAR: Positive: Negative: Creation of additional housing options for the residents of Rundu; Creation of jobs during construction of services infrastructure; and Potential created for the diversification of Rundu s economic activity. Impact on vegetation and associated biodiversity (during site clearance associated with construction of the services infrastructure); Impact on scarce potable water resource; Impact on ground and surface water quality; Impact on traffic and road safety; Impact on current stormwater flows; and As part of the public consultation process, Enviro Dynamics has placed a notice in two newspapers, which are circulated widely informing the public of this EA and inviting them to register as Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) and submit their comments. I&APs are encouraged to submit their comments before the closing date for the comments period for this EA, which is Friday, the 24 th of October I&APs are invited to attend a public meeting that will be held at the Kavango East Regional Council office in Rundu on the 20 th of October 2014 at 18h00. A short presentation regarding this proposed developments will be given and an opportunity provided for those present to ask questions and/or voice their concerns. All those who register as I&APs for this EA process will be notified when the Scoping stage (and Scoping Report) for this EA is complete and will receive an opportunity to comment on the Scoping Report. Increased demands placed on existing services infrastructure (potable water reticulation, sewerage, road network, solid waste disposal and power supply). PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Public consultation is an essential part of the Environmental Assessment (EA) process. This provides you as an interested or affected member of the public with an opportunity to find out more about what is being proposed, and to raise any issues or concerns. Sheldon Husselmann SMS: Tel: Fax: sheldon@envirod.com