The public participation process on the hotly debated Franschhoek cable car or Skytram, as it will be called, is officially underway and affected parties have until Wednesday 6 March to comment.
During a packed public-participation meeting in Franschhoek last Thursday (15 February), a draft version of the plan was available to be viewed by those present.
The Skytram is proposed to start at Haute Cabrière and follow a kilometre-long cable line up the valley to the Mount Rochelle Nature Reserve.
Alwyn Laubscher of Alwyn Laubscher & Associates and the project manager of the cable-car project, said construction is planned to start at the beginning of next year with the first visitors to be welcomed at the end of 2026.
“Throughout the years, we [the various teams behind the Skytram project] looked at several options, but decided on Haute Cabrière,” Laubscher said, as the cable runs only through Mont Marte Guest Farm and minimises the number of landowner permission needed for the project.
ACTIVITIES
According to Laubscher the vision of the project’s shareholders, which include a South African and a Swiss citizen, is different from the Table Mountain Cable Car Company, as it will provide visitors with an array of outings from which to choose, encouraging longer stays on top of the destination of the cable car.
The proposed lower station at Haute Cabrière will include the existing offerings as well as new walkways around a dam, a deli, ablution facilities and parking.
The planned upper station at Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve will include wine tasting, a restaurant, souvenir shop, a paragliding launching area, walkways and existing hiking routes.
As part of the project’s social responsibility “local labour should be used wherever possible”, according to the draft version of the plan, composed by Doug Jeffery Environmental Consultants.
Further community upliftment includes an annual 2% of ticket sales, which will be donated to a community-upliftment project in Franschhoek and a further R400 000 will go towards annual conservation fees.
IMPACT ASSESSMENT
An impact assessment was included in the draft plan, outlining the possible impacts project would have on the environment and the local community.
Some of the important findings include: . Disturbances to fynbos vegetation and predatory birds, such as Verreau’x Eagle, and insects such as butterflies. However, according to the draft, the Skytram is “unlikely to generate significant negative impacts” on vegetation, birds or insects.
Mitigation measures include bird-deterrent markers, minimal artificial lights at night for insects and minimal clearing of natural vegetation among others.
For noise and dust disturbances, particularly from construction, mitigation measures include operating during working hours as well as “wetting of internal gravel roads on a regular basis and ensuring that vehicles used to transport sand and building materials are fitted with tarpaulins or covers” to minimise dust.. Socio-economic impacts will include employing skilled and unskilled labour from other parts of the country instead of locally, in this way not adding to local job creation.
A “locals-first policy” will be adopted for semi- and low-skilled jobs.
This measure will also prevent conflicts between locals and newcomers, including expats, working at the cable car. . An uptake in traffic, as it is projected that tourists will visit the cable car.
This, however, will be circumvented by road upgrades along the R45 and the implemention of certain parking rules, such as buses parked at a separate parking areas. . Wildfires also pose a risk to the project, pre- and post-construction. Wildfire awareness should be undertaken, along with collaborating with local firefighting organisations.
CONFLICT
Although the Franschhoek Cableway Company argues that the project will be economically advantageous to the area, a large part of the local community is unhappy about the new development and intends to make their objections known in the public participation process
Sylvia Bell of the Patriotic Alliance believes “only the rich” will benefit from the project, as it’s a tourist attraction targeted at those who earn more than struggling day labourers who also live in Franschhoek and may well argue it has become a gentrified town.
Jeanne Roux, another protester who made her voice known outside the meeting, said the community has not been informed of the project. She claimed developers have only done so as a pre-requisite through the public participation process.
“Leave the mountains as they are,” Roux said, signalling that the increased visitation on the Franschhoek mountains will disturb the tranquillity of small-town life and hinder the fauna and flaura.
Many residents also took to social media, in particular the Facebook page “What’s On In Franschhoek!”, who set up a poll in which more than a 900 people voted against the project and more than 300 in favour.
A newly formed Facebook group, “Stop the Franschoek Skytram”, has more than 300 members.
- For more information on the project, the public participation process or The Franschhoek Cableway Company, visit https://www.dougjeff.co.za/download/franschhoek-skytram/
