Case Decision - 197209

Interim Comment The SAHRA Archaeology, Palaeontology and Meteorite (APM) Unit notes the desktop Archaeological Impact Assessment (AIA) along with the provided recommendations. It is noted that the report considered previous heritage studies along with Historical aerial images and these contributes to providing context and insight into the significance of any heritage identified within the area, however the application specific field-based assessment required to effectively assess the impacts of the current development on heritage resources that may occur within the impact area is still required.A field-based AIA must be conducted that complies with section 38(3) of the National Heritage Resources Act, Act 25 of 1999 (NHRA). The assessment must include an assessment of the impact to archaeological and palaeontological resources. The assessment of archaeological resources must be conducted by a qualified archaeologist and the report comply with the SAHRA 2007 Minimum Standards: Archaeological and Palaeontological Components of Impact Assessment Reports.The proposed development area is located mostly within an area of high and moderate sensitivity in terms of palaeontological resources as per the SAHRIS PalaeoSensitivity map. As such, a desktop Palaeontological Impact Assessment (PIA) must be undertaken by a qualified palaeontologist (See https://www.palaeosa.org/heritage-practitioners.html for a list of qualified palaeontologists). The report must comply with the 2012 Minimum Standards: Palaeontological Components of Heritage Impact Assessments. The NEMA EIA documents and appendices must be submitted at the start of the public review periods in order for an informed comment to be issued that can be incorporated into the final reports for submission to the competent authority.