Final Basic Assessment Report Installation of a Telecommunication Mast and Associated Infrastructure at Pyramid South in Gauteng, South Africa
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FINAL BASIC ASSESSMENT REPORT INSTALLATION OF A TELECOMMUNICATION MAST AND ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE AT PYRAMID SOUTH IN GAUTENG, SOUTH AFRICA PROPOSED INSTALLATION OF A TELECOMMUNICATION MAST AND ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE AT PYRAMID SOUTH IN GAUTENG, SOUTH AFRICA DEFF REF: 14/12/16/3/3/1/2215 FINAL BASIC ASSESSMENT REPORT Prepared for: TRANSNET FREIGHT RAIL Prepared by: CES Centurion 70 Regency Dr Route 21 Business Park Centurion, 0178 010 045 1372 | 012 751 2160 Also in Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth, East London, Cape Town and Maputo (Mozambique) www.cesnet.co.za OCTOBER 2020 FINAL Basic Assessment Report REVISIONS TRACKING TABLE CES Report Revision and Tracking Schedule Proposed installation of a telecommunication mast at Pyramid South Document Title in Gauteng, South Africa Transnet Freight Rail Inyanda House 2 Client Name & Address 15 Girton Road Parktown Johannesburg, 2193 Document Reference DEFF Reference: 14/12/16/3/3/1/2215 Status FINAL BASIC ASSESSMENT REPORT Issue Date October 2020 Lead Author Mr Aidan Gouws CES Reviewer Mr Gregory Shaw CES Study Leader/ Registered Environmental Assessment Mr Gregory Shaw CES Practitioner – Approval No. of hard No. electronic Report Distribution Circulated to copies copies Transnet Freight Rail Mr Ndivhuwo Netshilaphala 1 Department of Environment, Mr Thando Booi 1 Forestry and Fisheries Report Version Final This document has been prepared in accordance with the scope of CES’s appointment and contains intellectual property and proprietary information that is protected by copyright in favour of CES. The document may therefore not be reproduced, used or distributed to any third party without the prior written consent of CES. This document is prepared exclusively for use by CES’s client. CES accepts no liability for any use of this document other than by its client and only for the purposes for which it was prepared. No person other than the client may copy (in whole or in part), use or [email protected] rely on the contents of this document, without the prior written www.cesnet.co.za permission of CES. The document is subject to all confidentiality, copyright, trade secrets rules and intellectual property law and practices of South Africa. CES Environmental and Social Advisory Services TFR Telecom Mast - Pyramid South, GP ii FINAL Basic Assessment Report PROJECT TEAM CES has been appointed by Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) as independent consultants to undertake a Basic Assessment (BA) process for the proposed installation of a telecommunication mast and associated infrastructure, as required by the NEMA EIA Regulations, 2014, as amended. The BA process is largely dependent on the information and assessments provided by the independent specialists and the input received during the public participation process in order to inform the overall environmental assessment of the proposed development on both environmental and social aspects. The process where the environmental impacts associated with a project are assessed is a collective effort from a team of appropriate and independent specialists, as well as an independent Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP). The EIA is required to assess the planned development from a holistic perspective, considering all aspects and characteristics within the affected natural and social environment. The following specialist consultants have provided expert input and a detailed assessment of the project in order to assess the environmental and social impacts within the affected environment as well as the acceptability of the application. CES team and responsibilities CES TEAM MEMBER PROJECT RESPONSIBILITIES Dr Alan Carter Environmental Assessment Practitioner Mr Gregory Shaw Project Leader, Report Reviewer Mr Aidan Gouws Project Manager, Public Participation Manager, Lead Report Writer Mr Michael Johnson Visual Impact Specialist CES Environmental and Social Advisory Services TFR Telecom Mast - Pyramid South, GP iii FINAL Basic Assessment Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BACKGROUND Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) proposes to construct a telecommunication mast and associated infrastructure in an effort to improve the communication channels between train conductors along the existing railway network at Pyramid South in Pretoria, Gauteng. CES has been appointed by TFR as an independent Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) to undertake a Basic Assessment (BA), including specialist Visual Impact Assessment (VIA), and apply for the necessary Environmental Authorisation (EA) for the proposed project. LOCATION AND SITE DESCRIPTION The mast will be constructed in an area where existing freight rail-related infrastructure has been installed, namely within the fenced Central Train Control (CTC) premise. Pyramid South is located along the R101 (Lavender Road), approximately 6km north-east of Bon Accord Dam, 20km north of Pretoria CBD and 30km south of Hammanskraal, within the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng Province. The project site is located on a property currently used for the train station. The proposed mast will be located on Portion 18 of Farm Doornpoort 295 JR (SGID: T0JR00000000029500018). Figure 2-1 illustrates the project location. The vegetation cover within the CTC area is limited to patchy lawn grass, interspersed between bare grounds, with a few scattered garden tree species. From the site, the adjacent property to the south appears to be mostly covered by indigenous bushveld. The land adjacent to the CTC area to the north, east and west is completely transformed by the railway lines, access roads and other associated infrastructure. Figure 2-1: Location of the proposed site at Pyramid South near Pretoria, Gauteng. CES Environmental and Social Advisory Services TFR Telecom Mast - Pyramid South, GP iv FINAL Basic Assessment Report PROJECT DESCRIPTION The general requirement is a 35m tapered steel lattice tower with either a square or triangular base. The design is a tapered, self-supporting lattice type mast (angle iron) with a 2.5m2 Antenna load at the top of the mast, which needs to sustain wind speeds up to 160km/h. The mast shall be painted red and white, and shall have a Direct Current (DC) powered navigation light on top. The mast will occupy a footprint of 3m x 3m (9m2) and will be constructed in an area where existing freight rail infrastructure has been installed, namely within the fenced Central Train Control (CTC) station premises. The associated infrastructure to be installed will include a cable tray run, 5m in length and 457mm wide, as well as a 390mm x 240mm cable entry plate. The site layout plan is illustrated in Figure 2-3 below. No site camps will be required as the contractor will stay off site. Construction tools will be housed inside TFR property and construction material will be placed on the “Stockpiling Location” indicated on the site layout. In terms of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations of 2014 (as amended), the TFR telecommunications project requires Environmental Authorisation, from the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), for the proposed mast . The triggered activities are listed under Listing Notices 3 only (published in Government Notices No. R 985 respectively), and as such, the BA Process needs to be followed. The listed activities that have been applied for are provided in Table 4-1 below. Table 4-1: Listed activities as described in GN R 985 (as amended) triggered by the proposed mast. Description of Activity project activity Listing Listed Activity Number that triggers listed activity The development of mast or towers of any material or type used for telecommunication broadcasting or radio transmission purposes where the mast or tower— The mast will be (a) Is to be placed on a site not previously used 35m in height, for this purpose; and thereby exceeding the 15m threshold, Listing 3 (b) Will exceed 15 metres in height 3(c) and falls within an GN R 985 c. Gauteng Endangered ecosystem v. Sites identified within threatened (Marikana ecosystems listed in terms of the National Thornveld) Environmental Management Act: Biodiversity Act (Act No. 10 of 2004); PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS Public consultation is a legal requirement throughout the BA process. The Public Participation Process included: Placing notice boards on site; Identifying and registering Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) and relevant stakeholders; Providing notice to I&APs and stakeholders of the intent to submit an application for EA and the release of the Draft Basic Assessment Report (BAR) for public review. CES Environmental and Social Advisory Services TFR Telecom Mast - Pyramid South, GP v FINAL Basic Assessment Report Publishing an advertisement in a local newspaper notifying the public of the release of the Draft BAR for public review; Keeping a register of all comments by and responses to registered I&APs and stakeholders for inclusion in the Final BAR. IMPACT ASSESSMENT Table 12-1 provides an overall summary of the negative (cost) and positive (benefit) environmental impacts associated with the proposed telecommunications mast. Table 12-1: Summary of impacts before and after mitigation across phases. Before Mitigation After Mitigation Theme Low Moderate High Low Moderate High Environmental -3 -3 policy Built -10 (+1) -10 (+1) environment Terrestrial -2 -8 -1 -11 environment Hydrological -1 -1 environment Socio- -2 (+1) -7 -9 (+1) economic Rehabilitation and -3 -3 maintenance Landscape -4 -3 -4 -3 and aesthetic Total -8 (+1) -32 (+1) -4 -41 (+1) -3 (+1) 0 Overall, the table above