January 29 wild- for immediate release
Flood of Objections to Wild Coast Toll Road
An unprecedented flood of thousands of objections has poured in to the consultants tasked with writing the final Report on the Wild Coast Toll Road EIA, despite holiday season timing for public comment.
The submissions have come from individuals, communities, businesses,
environmental organisations and civil society groups, while in Durban, where road users are protesting extra toll booths, local government have joined the chorus.
Many of the comments have described the EIAR as ‘fatally flawed” in many ways, but particularly in its lack of compliance with required legal standards and adherence to public participation norms.
It also
* misleadingly characterises the project as a regional social development initiative
* misleadingly assesses the benefits of secondary development
* fails to assess socio-economic impacts
* fails to assess the cumulative effects of mining and the toll road\
* demonstrates inadequate consultation with IAPs.
Specialist studies into relocation, land claims and sacred sites also fall short.
salaamu
Lylie Musgrave
Kibao Communications
On behalf of Sustaining the Wild Coast
tel: 27 31 2613406
fax 27 31 2616232
mobile: 072 2970974
email: kibao@iafrica.com
Full transcripts of comments are available on www.swc.org.za
Posted on January 29th, 2009 by Louis
Filed under: Current Issues, Press Releases, SWC Comments | No Comments »
Cullinan and Associates, environmental and heritage law specialists.
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Posted on January 26th, 2009 by Louis
Filed under: Annual Reports, SWC Comments | No Comments »
Grassroots education. 26 January 2009.
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Posted on January 26th, 2009 by Louis
Filed under: Projects | No Comments »
Whilst there are obvious flaws and contradictions throughout the EIR the comments herein will be directed towards the Public Participation Process as that is where my expertise lies and having worked directly with some of the communities along the longer Greenfields section who have a desire to participate. These comments are also in regard only to the proposed Greenfields section between Port Edward and Lusikisiki and do not apply to any other part of the proposed road.
Two flaws within the FSR creating two fatal flaws in the EIR
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Sandy Heather
Grass Roots Education
P O Box 931
Magaliessig
2067
Tel: 011 4623176; brash@netactive.co.za
Posted on January 26th, 2009 by Louis
Filed under: SWC Comments | 6 Comments »
On 24 January 2004 and on 1 September 2005 I forwarded submissions in which I stated that I could not agree to the preferred location, as proposed by the South African National Roads Agency Ltd, of this highway between Port Edward and inland of Port St Johns. I suggested that it should be located further inland, giving reasons. In my second submission I also objected to the toll plazas at Isipingo and Park Rynie.
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Posted on January 23rd, 2009 by Louis
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INTRODUCTION
Note:- The concerns expressed in this document are primarily aimed at the new section of the N2 known as the ‘Greenfields’ section between Port Edward and Port St John’s, which passes through the Pondoland Centre of Endemism. This is the only section of the N2 that is entirely new, all other sections of the N2 route being upgrades of existing roads and therefore unlikely to have the same social, economic and environmental repercussions that the ‘Greenfields’ section will have.
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Posted on January 23rd, 2009 by Louis
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Daily News: January 21, 2009 Edition 2
A MASSIVE campaign to get south coast residents and businesses to add their voices to the fight against the proposed plan to toll the N2 has brought in 3 000 last-minute objections.
Their objections will today be delivered to the Johannesburg offices of the environmental consultants who have drawn up the draft environmental impact assessment (EIA) into the controversial plans to place tolls south of Durban on the proposed N2 Wild Coast Toll Highway.
Their objections will be added to those already submitted by local residents and businessmen.
Mark Holbrook, chairman of the Southgate Business Park, who sent the objections on behalf of businesses and residents there, plus those collected from the community by anti-toll campaigner Ted Holden, said the message from objectors was loud and clear.
“No-one wants the toll and no one can afford to pay for it. Any form of tolling will have a devastating economic and social impact on the community subject to this immoral proposal.
“At no stage should businesses be disadvantaged by having to pay a toll fee for a road already built, nor subsidise construction of an entire route from Durban to East London. It is not fair or justifiable,” said Holbrook.
Posted on January 22nd, 2009 by Louis
Filed under: Newspaper and Media | No Comments »
