While locals and visitors enjoy the last (and BEST) sunny, wind free weather along the West Coast, there are some serious issues that need urgent attention to KEEP the STATE OF THE BAY / BAAN in good stead.
PADBOU – wat NOU?
More than18 months after the major road works in Langebaan’s main road began, the town still looks like a war torn zone with the sandy pavements, median and traffic circles lying unattended and waiting to be beautified by either fynbos shrubs or paving . . . The temporary gravel detour roads in front of SPAR have become a hazard due to the stony surface that damages and/or puncture tyres.
With the ongoing drought reaching critical stages, weskusonTheline wanted to know what plants/shrubs were going to be used for the landscaping and what water will be used for the irrigation.
The GOOD news is that ALL the roads (including the one in front of SPAR) will (hopefully) be completed before the school holidays from 1 April to accommodate holiday makers and Easter Weekend guests.
Mr Michael Mullins of RJ Mullins Civils was this week hesitant to commit, but said the plan is to have the road works at SPAR completed before the school holidays and all the major roads (including service roads) completed by the end of April. This does, however, not include the landscaping of the pavements, traffic circles and median . . .
“The landscaping plans were revised by the SBM. We just received the updated specs (design) and are in the process of evaluating sub-contractors to complete the process,” he said.
Prompted for a deadline date, he said: “We understand people’s frustration and are not trying to make excuses. The sandy pavements, traffic circles and median are watered regularly to minimize dust pollution. There are processes to be followed . . . but we hope to have the landscaping completed by the end of June . . .” (Also read the SBM’s rather vague, non-committal answers to the questions underneath).
♫ STADIG, STADIG OOR DIE KLIPPERTJIES . . . ♫
Meanwhile, motorists en route to Saldanha Bay have been complaining about speeding open trucks on the West Coast roads spilling stones and debris, causing serious danger to especially bikers and damage to their vehicles. Numerous motorists and bikers complained about stones cracking and chipping their windscreens in the vicinity of the Saldanha Bay turn-off and their constant battle with insurance companies to reimburse them. WKOTL reported earlier about this growing problem and the anger / frustration of motorists due to the seeming lack of proper policing by traffic officers. (Article underneath)
This post on a popular FB group caused quite a stir and revealed the enormity of the problem:
“My voorruit is vanoggend stukkend a.g.v die klippe op die olietenker- pad. Die trokke wat so op en af ry mors die hele pad vol klippe en daar word niks aan gedoen nie en so word ons karre beskadig en ons moet net betaal en betaal. Ek wil graag weet of daar enige iemand is wat dieselfde oorgekom het. Want ek gaan dit nie net daar los nie. En as enige iemand my kan help met n naam of kontaknommer van die maatskappy.”
(Copy and paste into your url):
Also read weskusonTheline’s original article about the issue right at the bottom. (Scroll down)
WeskusonTheline asked the Saldanha Bay Municipality the following questions regarding some of these issues:
- WKOTL: Die kritieke waternood en streng waterbeperkingsmaatreëls aan die Weskus laat inwoners wonder of daar enige maatreëls in plek is om groot nywerhede soos ArcellorMittal/Saldanha Staal en die Elandsfontein/KROPZ-fosfaatmyn se watergebruik te monitor / besnoei / beperk om ook beparing aan te moedig? Wat is die daaglikse watergebruik van dié nywerhede? Inwoners raak moedeloos as hulle streng waterbesparing toepas, maar miljoene liter water deur nywerhede gemors word omdat dieselfde besparingsmaatreëls blykbaar nie by hulle ook toegepas word nie . . . ?
SBM: Daar is maatreëls in plek om groot nywerhede se waterverbruik te monitor. Daar is reeds beplan om vergaderings tussen die Munisipaliteit en die groot nywerhede te reël om hierdie kwessies rondom verdere waterbeperkings te bespreek. Dit word van nywerhede verwag om addisionele maatreëls, wat hulle intern sal gebruik om waterverbuike te verminder, voor te stel.
Die hergebruik van gesuiwerde rioolwater is een van die opsies wat tans deur die Munisipaliteit en die industrieë ondersoek word. ArcellorMittal gebruik reeds gesuiwerde rioolwater.
Hulle daaglikse varswater-verbruik is 7 000kl.
WKOTL: NOU eers?
- WKOTL: Weskusontheline is genader oor onooglike en “onwettige” strukture wat soos paddastoele in Hopland in Langebaan opskiet . . . blykbaar word dié piepklein Wendy-huise en kamertjies aan buitelanders verhuur vir tot R1 000 per maand . . . Is dié strukture in die agterplase van huise wettig en is daar bouplanne nodig, of kan inwoners van Hopland maar maak en breek soos hulle wil op die erfies? (Foto’s aangeheg).
SBM: Die Munisipaliteit se Departement Boubeheer, in samewerking met ons Geografiese Inligtingstelsel-afdeling is tans in proses om ‘n opname te maak van alle informele strukture in ons regsgebied. Hierdie oefening is om die Raad in staat te stel om ‘n beleid te formaliseer wat “backyard dwellers” aanspreek.
Die oprigting van enige struktuur vereis die nodige voorafgaande goedkeuring van die munisipaliteit.”
WeskusonTheline reported on the issue on 21 February as follows:
Roaring rental business in Hopland?
While some West Coast home owners are up in arms over the “outrageous” new municipal property valuations of their houses (many of which allegedly almost doubled in value), opportunistic residents in Hopland apparently also jumped on the bandwagon to inflate the value of their homes (and to line their pockets).
Dozens of allegedly illegal sink, wood, brick and cement structures the size of a solitary, windowless prison cell are shooting up like mushrooms in the back yards of homes in Hopland and are apparently leased to (mostly) foreigners from Zimbabwe and elsewhere in Africa or South Africa.
Some plots allegedly house up to four “flatlets” of 2,5 x 2.,5 square metres in the back yards which are leased for between R750 to R1 000 per month. Most of these dwellings have no windows and there is even a makeshift double storey dwelling on one plot.
While most people have sympathy for the homeless due to the unaffordability and scarcity of decent accommodation in Langebaan and surrounds, rate paying home owners want to know how these opportunists get away with it.
“We (tax paying home owners) have to adhere to extremely strict building plans and regulations for the smallest extension or alterations to our homes or businesses, and here they just build Wendy houses and other illegal structures on top of one another – without any plans or authaurization? Those dense structures do not only look ghastly from the street, they also create a fire and health risk to the rest of the community,” one resident said.
“Some of those structures are uninhabitable and have no toilets or ablution facilities, yet they lease it to desperate foreigners for up to R1 000 a month . . . now THAT is easy pocket money for you. Where are the building inspectors or don’t they see it?,” was asked.
- WKOTL: Daar is blykbaar al geruime tyd tweespalt en onenigheid oor die SKATEBOARD PARK in Langebaan wat onderbenut en as ‘n wit olifant beskou word. Die pre-primêre skooltjie op die perseel se toekoms is ook blykbaar in die gedrang en ‘n nuwe perseel sal blykbaar vir dié skooltjie met sy sowat 50 leerders en personeel gekry moet word. Wat word beplan by die Skateboard Park en wat is die planne met die skooltjie?
SBM: Daar is ‘n huur-ooreenkoms van die betrokke stuk grond tussen die Sosiale klub (Skateboard Park) en die Munisipalitiet aangegaan vir die beoefening van die sport vir die jeug. Die voortbestaan van die skooltjie kan dus opgeneem word met die betrokke sosiale klub.
4. WKOTL: Die waaiende stof / sand wat onverpoosd voortduur met die padbouwerke in Langebaan se hoofstraat is al ‘n jaar lank ‘n groot kopseer. Inwoners wil weet wat op die reuse-sypaadjies, middelmanne en sirkels geplant gaan word om dié sand/stof te beheer en hoe dit die huidige droogte/waternood gaan affekteer . . . en WANNEER?
SBM: Kommentaar van ons Bestuurder: Projekbestuurseenheid word as sulks hieronder weergegee:
“Saldanha Bay Municipality has informed the consulting engineer to instruct the contractor on site to do excessive watering of the ground surface to alleviate the dust/sand issue. SBM was recently on site to check and confirm whether the above has been executed.
Please note that we are not using potable water. We utilise water from the existing storm water ponds.
We have done straw stabilisation in the median and circles and to stabilise the ground. The sidewalks are stable since they have edging and a calcrete base.
In overall, the project is at a stage where dust should not be a major issue any longer since we are nearing the end of the contract.”
- WKOTL: Die beplande taxi-parkeerplek oorkant OK Minimark in Langebaan is nog ‘n kwessie waaroor daar onsekerheid bestaan. Gaan die taxi-parkeerplek wel daar kom en wanneer sal bouwerk daaraan begin?
SBM: Kommentaar van ons Bestuurder: Ruimtelike Ontwikkeling en Beplanning word ook as sulks hieronder weergegee:
“The land use change application was advertised via the statutory public participation process and comments and objections were received. The said objections and comments will be discussed and evaluated during the land use application report to the decision maker. In terms of the Saldanha Bay Land Use Planning By-Law, the persons who commented/objected will be afforded the right to appeal to the Appeal Authority.”
‘n Prospektus van die voorgenome ontwikkeling word tans saam gestel. Dit sluit in ‘n “transport interchange”/ taxi staanplek. Sodra die hersoneringsproses afgehandel is, sal met die “Request for Proposals”-proses begin word (versoek om ontwikkelingsvoorstelle).
Groete,
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