PROPOSED DWELLINGS ON PORTION 13 OF FARM NR 6, DUYKER EILAND, ST HELENA BAY, WESTERN CAPE

Guillaume Nel Environmental Consultants (GNEC) has been appointed by Proximity Properties 420 (Pty) Ltd to facilitate the Environmental Authorisation process in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998) for the proposed development of five residential dwelling units on Portion 13 of Farm Nr 6, Duyker Eiland, St Helena Bay, Western Cape.
The property is situated outside the urban edge of the Saldanha Bay Municipality and is currently zoned as Authority Zone. The site lies along the Atlantic coastline, approximately 1.6 km west of the Britannia Bay headland and 1.4 km north of Duyker Eiland, within a rural coastal area. Access is provided via Cape St Martin Road from the southeast. The West Coast Abalone farm is also located southeast of the site.
The development proposal includes five standalone dwelling units, each with a footprint of approximately 500 m², connected by a single internal access road. The is positioned within areas of existing disturbance to minimise environmental impact. The proposed total development footprint would result in the loss of 0.34 hectares of Langebaan Dune Strandveld, which represents of 0.001% of the remaining 34186 ha of the remaining ecosystem.
According to the Botanical Assessment, The study area has a gently-undulating topography due to low vegetated dunes. It is predominantly north facing with northeast and northwest facing gentle slopes. The soils are sandy, with the geology described as “Deep Tertiary to Recent sands and calcrete of marine origin” (Rebelo et al. in Mucina and Rutherford, 2006).
The site’s Very High Terrestrial Biodiversity sensitivity, as identified by the National Web-based Environmental Screening Tool, triggered the need for a Botanical Impact Assessment, which supports the development provided that recommended mitigation measures are implemented.