Relevant Documents

City of Cape Town’s Environmental Management Department Appeal September 2020 appeal against the Environmental Authorisation which as highlighted in (Jens Horber's Daily Maverick article) lists 12 grounds for appeal including: that “the decision does not align with relevant national and provincial legislation, provincial and city policy and spatial plans, and the Environmental Management Framework approved by DEA&DP”. The  appeal highlighted procedural and due diligence issues on the part of DEA&DP, and noted that the decision did not adequately take into account the city’s previous comments on the environmental reports submitted by the developer. noting that “the decision does not give due consideration to climate change impacts and resilience, and fails to apply the precautionary principle” and proposal to turn the original river course into a stormwater swale, which is essentially a grassed, open stormwater ditch.

​

“The Ecological Corridor referred to… is a misrepresentation of facts. Once the habitat of the Liesbeek River has been destroyed through infilling, there will be no movement of animals from there anymore. The paths across the River Club site they used to traverse, will be empty and unused. The need for the ecological corridor arises from the significance of the habitat of the Liesbeek River, and the need to maintain the ecological linkages across the River Club site, for frogs, otters and birds which move to and from the Liesbeek River and the Raapenberg wetlands, noted by various specialists and members of the public. With no life left in the Liesbeek River, the raison d’etre for the ecological corridor falls away.”