Members of the broader Franschhoek community came together to discuss the draft version of the hotly debated Franschhoek Cable Car Project or “skytram” compiled by Doug Jeffrey Environmental Consultants.
This comes after the draft concept of the project was launched on in Franschhoek on Thursday 15 February, after which there was an uptake of both those in favour and those against, who made sure their opinions were heard.
The discussions, led by the Franschhoek Heritage and Ratepayer’s Association (FHRA), were an attempt to scrutinise and debate the draft version publicly, according to Barry Phillips, co-chairperson of the FHRA. “There are 21 separate assessments and over 11 000 pages,” Phillips said.
For this reason the FHRA divided the assessments into different sections, all scrutinised by experts in certain fields, who explained to the public what each of the impact assessments entail.
The main themes discussed over four sessions last week included the socio-economic assessment, visual, noise and traffic-impact assessment, the heritage, archaeological and paleontological impact assessment as well as the botanical, fauna and bird and aquatic biodiversity assessment.
Moreover, land-use planning and land-surveying impact assessment were discussed as well as the agricultural assessment and the fire-management and emergency-evacuation plan.
Phillips explained the residents’ and members of the FHRA’s main concern was that only 37 jobs would be created through the project, and it was uncertain whether these were temporary in-season jobs or permanent jobs.
Another concern was that the draft report said it would use “local” labour, but did not specify which local members.
“Will it be Franschhoek residents, will it be Stellenbosch Municipality residents or South Africans?” Phillips asked.
Another point of contention is whether the skytram, similar to the Franschhoek winetram, will encourage only on-site spending, in this case on Haute Cabrière and on top of the Mount Rochelle Nature Reserve, rather than at local shops along the main road.
According to Phillips the botanical, fauna, bird and aquatic biodiversity draft-impact assessment also posed some concerns, especially by botanists who scrutinised this section of the report.
“Mount Rochelle is a Unesco [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation] heritage site, so what will happen to that,” he asked.
Phillips was also concerned about how construction and an influx of tourists on the mountain would affect local wildlife and vegetation.
The last draft report discussed was that of the fire-management and emergency-evacuation plan which, according to Phillips, is unsatisfactory as it is uncertain how 600 tourists (the number allowed on top of the mountain) will be brought to safety within 30 minutes, as the report suggests.
“The cable car can take only 80 people, so how will all 600 be transported safely under 30 minutes?” he asked.
Another concern, Phillips added, was that the Groendal community in Franschhoek had not been notified of the Franschhoek Cable Car Project, with many still not having knowledge about it.
He said all role-players who would be directly affected by the project should be notified, and not only the wealthy who live in the town proper. Phillips wanted to know how the Groendal community would be included in the public-participation process.
Queries for comment were sent to Doug Jeffery Environmental Consultants, which will be added to the online version once it is received.
