State of the Bay Report 2011-Final.pdf - Anchor Environmental

State of Saldanha Bay & Langebaan Lagoon 2011
Activities & discharges
revised SDF for the Saldanha Bay Municipality was produced in 2011 and is available on the
municipality website. The revised version has adopted a holistic approach, ensuring that the
municipal spatial planning of the rural and urban areas is integrated for the first time since the
establishment of the municipality.
A study by Van der Merve et al. (2005) assessing the growth potential of towns in the
Western Cape (as part of the provincial SDF) identified Langebaan and Saldanha as towns with high
growth potential. It was estimated that, given the projected population figures, there would be a
future residential demand of 9 132 units in Saldanha and 3 781 units in Langebaan. The SDF
proposes addressing these demands by increasing the residential density in specified nodes in both
towns and by extending the urban edge of Saldanha in a northerly direction towards Vredenberg,
and that of Langebaan inland towards the North-East.
Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDT), through Wesgro
(the official Investment and Trade Promotion Agency of the Western Cape), embarked on a Pre-
Feasibility Study to identify and assess the opportunities available in the industrial and business
market and ascertain whether there are any binding constraints to establishing an IDZ programme at
Saldanha Bay.
The National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act 24 of 2008
(ICMA), which came into effect in December 2009, aims to ensure the integrated management of
the coastline and the sustainable use of its resources. ICMA obligates municipalities to prepare and
adopt Coastal Management Programmes for the coastal zone, or specific parts of the coastal zone in
areas under their jurisdiction, within four years of the Act coming into effect. These statutory
programmes must incorporate a vision and management objectives for the coastal zone; priorities
and strategies to achieve the objectives; and performance indicators to measure management
effectiveness. The Coastal Management Programme must be consistent with other municipal plans,
such as the IDP. Moreover section 51 requires that an IDP be aligned with, contain the provisions of,
and give effect to national and the applicable provincial coastal management programmes.
The coastal zone, as defined by ICMA, includes the following areas and any aspect of the
environment on, in, under and above these areas:
All coastal public property (Comprises of coastal waters; land submerged by coastal waters;
islands within coastal waters; the sea shore, excluding that which was lawfully alienated
before this Act came into force; State owned land declared as coastal public property; and
the natural resources on or in coastal public property, the exclusive economic zone (up to
200 nautical miles offshore) and any harbour, work or other installation in coastal public
property);
The coastal protection zone (Comprises all land 1 km inland from the high water mark
zoned for agricultural or undetermined use and the wetlands, lakes, lagoons or dams
situated on this land; any land within 100 m inland of the high water mark in areas zones for
residential or industrial use; the seashore and admiralty reserves which are not coastal
public property; and land inundated by 1:50 year floods or storm events);
All coastal access land; (Strips of land designated by municipal by-laws to secure public
access to coastal public property);
Coastal protected areas (those protected areas situated wholly or partially in the coastal
zone and recognised under the Protected Areas Act. Marine Protected Areas declared under
the Marine Living Resources Act are recognised as protected areas);
The seashore (the area between the low water mark and the high water mark);
Coastal waters (territorial and internal waters of the Republic).
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