The draft Scoping report for the controversial Plettenberg Bay small boat harbour
development has been submitted to the Department of Environmental Affairs, with
the suggestion that it could have many economic benefits for the holiday town.
According to Port Elizabeth environmental assessment practioner Dr Mike Cohen,
on behalf of project applicant Western Cape Marina Investments, the report sought
to investigate potential impacts on the proposed sites for the R4-billion development,
focusing on the Piesang estuary near the Beacon Isle hotel which is touted as the
preferred site.
"The economic impact assessment evaluated the balance between
financial benefits and costs, and found that although the achieving of profits for some
can come at an unacceptable cost to wider society, the overall balance is in favour of
the small boat harbour and marina project ..., " the report states.
Were the development to go ahead, in addition to the small boat harbour it would
include 482 residential units in eight separate buildings with heights ranging from
three to seven floors, 17 bungalows along the Central Beach
strip, a 100-room five-star hotel, a plaza, a yacht club and retail and commercial
space.
Local environment groups have already lodged strong objections to the development,
saying intensive urbanisation of Central Beach will ruin the economy of the town's
central business district (CBD), destroy the safest swimming beach and spoil its
natural beauty.
However the Scoping report, released late last week, has highlighted several factors
which would be of great financial benefit to the Bitou economy, in addition to
creating hundreds of jobs for local communities.
"Civil engineering and construction components will take place over a period of
three to four years and will result in an additional 968 jobs being created per year by
the end of year one, with 459 being direct jobs. Of these 420 will be for semi-skilled
workers, which will be from the surrounding communities," the report says.
"Approximately 70% of all the jobs will be within the Bitou area with
a further 29% within the Western Cape. These employees could earn a total of R
44-million during year one, with R25-million being within the Bitou area and R17-
million within the Western Cape.
That said, the Scoping report recognises that there are potential negative impacts
on the estuary, many of which were brought to the attention of the assessors by
Plettenberg Bay residents.
"The construction phase of the proposed development, via intrusion impacts, could
spark a decrease in tourists visiting Plettenberg Bay for much of the four-year
duration of this phase. Many local businesses ... are very unlikely to be resilient
enough, largely due to the town's cyclical economy, to survive a medium-term
decrease in the size of their markets."
It further states that respondents from the less affluent areas of Plettenberg Bay
sounded a stern warning that if foreign nationals - many of whom reside in these
areas - were to be employed as semi-skilled workers during the construction
phase, "conflict would be inevitable" between locals and foreigners.
The report adds there is the potential loss of habitat for fauna in the area during the
construction and operational phase, that presence of construction vehicles and staff
may disturb and or kill fauna and there is the potential loss of important estuarine
habitats through dredging and reclaiming portions of the estuary to accommodate the
harbour.
Cohen said all registered parties had been sent an electronic copy of the executive
summary and and had been invited to a public open day in Plettenberg Bay on May
18 to discuss the Draft Scoping Report.
John Harvey
Picture Ewald Stander
