Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • In the words of Nelson Mandela, “To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity”
  • Avbob 2023 Poetry Competition Winner: Sithembele Isaac Xhegwana of Makhanda
  • Flooding at the James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works
  • Avbob 2023 Poetry Competition Second Place: Jeannie Wallace McKeown of Makhanda
  • Residents of Extensions Nine, 10, Transit Camp, Phumlani and Enkanini voice discontent!
  • Makhanda Creatives Speak Out
  • Running towards a drug and alcohol-free Makhanda
  • What’s On 23 – 30 March
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Grocott's Mail
You are at:Home»Uncategorized»Belmont Valley plan hits a bogey
Uncategorized

Belmont Valley plan hits a bogey

Grocott's MailBy Grocott's MailDecember 21, 2012No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

The driving force behind a chain of building developments that will change the face of Grahamstown is upbeat despite authorities declining his application this week.

The driving force behind a chain of building developments that will change the face of Grahamstown is upbeat despite authorities declining his application this week.

Earlier this month Grocott's Mail quoted project management company Izenzo's David Davies saying that the R500 million development was in the final stages of approval. It includes middle-income housing and a shopping mall on the current golf course, and soccer and agricultural academies and a new golf course in Belmont Valley.

Also linked to Izenzo's ambitious plans is an upgrade of the Grahamstown airport to allow the introduction of commercial flights to Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. Crucial to the project proposal is an upgrade to the city’s waste-water treatment plant and this requires an environmental impact assessment, the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism says.

Responding to the application, the department warned that both Belmont Valley and Mayfield sewage treatment works already exceeded their storage capacity. The Belmont Valley Waste Water Treatment Works, which will receive flows from the proposed development, has a design capacity of 5.4 Ml/day, the letter to the developers stated. The current average daily flow is 8Ml/day. Therefore the facility is operating at 48% over the design capacity.

In consideration of the above-mentioned issues, the department declines to authorise the development, as no bulk services are available. Upgrading of Waste Water Treatment Works to service the proposed development would require Environmental Impact Assessment and the competent authority is the National Department of Environmental Affairs. Davies confirmed that their application had been declined.

"It was refused until the upgrade of the sewerage system is done, so all we have to do is upgrade the system at the old golf course," Davies said.

On the development of the new golf course, they have requested clarification about the water and agriculture. Davies said they were nevertheless planning to appeal the department's decision in the new year. "We will appeal the decision in early January. We are happy to attend to what they raise about the sewage system."

Davies was not concerned about what he sees as just a delay. "We had 18 months to finish the new golf course and then after that start [the housing development]on the old one."

Makana Municipality is still seeking funding to upgrade the Belmont Valley Waste Water Treatment Works. Technical and Infrastructure services director Thembinkosi Myalato said they had appointed an engineer to do a feasibility study that will be presented to the Department of Water Affairs.

"If we get a commitment from the department to give us funding, even if they say for example they will give us funding in 2016/17 financial year, we will enter into a public-private partnership with the developers and then pay them back when we get the money. We are still looking for funding," Myalato said.

Davies said they would meet with Makana municipality today to discuss whether they will do the upgrade, or enter into a public-private partnership.

Previous ArticleMan killed at initiation party
Next Article Man drowns in Grey Dam
Grocott's Mail

Comments are closed.

Tweets by Grocotts
Newsletter



Listen

The Rhodes University Community Engagement Division has launched Engagement in Action, a new podcast which aims to bring to life some of the many ways in which the University interacts with communities around it. Check it out below.

Humans of Makhanda

Humans of Makhanda

Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

© 2023 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.