Northern & Western Cape
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PROPOSED GAMMA KAPPA 2ND 765KV ESKOM POWERLINE NORTHERN & WESTERN CAPE Heritage Impact Assessment specialist component Built Environment, Spatial History and Cultural Landscape SCOPING AND ASSESSMENT REPORT NOVEMBER 2013 HERITAGE WESTERN CAPE CASE NO: 121004JL10E Prepared For Nzumbululo Heritage Solutions (Pty) Ltd. 4 Berger Road, Vorna Valley, Midrand 1686, South Africa Tel: +27 11 021 4937, +27 15 291 3661 SALLY TITLESTAD HERITAGE CONSULTANTS IN ASSOCIATION Mobile: 071 1090 900 Tel: +27 21 789 0222 Fax: 086 511 0389 Mobile: 072 212 8246 Tel 021 686 8124 Email: [email protected] Web: www.bridgetodonoghue.com Email: [email protected] 4 OAKDALE ROAD NEWLANDS 7708 CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA 22 BIRKETT ROAD RONDEBOSCH 7700 CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA ESKOM PROPOSED 2nd 765KV POWERLINES GAMMA KAPPA SPECIALIST ASSESSMENT OF SPATIAL HISTORY, CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS GLOSSARY AND DEFINITIONS VI SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.2 LEGAL REQUIREMENTS 1 1.3 TERMS OF REFERENCE 2 1.4 PROPOSED POWERLINES AND ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE 3 1.5 HIA BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE SCOPE OF WORK 3 1.6 APPROACH TO THE SPECIALIST STUDY 4 1.7 STUDY METHODOLOGY 5 1.8 ASSUMPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS 9 1.8.1 Assumptions 9 1.8.2 Limitations 9 1.9 SPECIALIST TEAM AND DETAILS 10 1.10 DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 10 1.11 REPORT STRUCTURE 11 SECTION 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 12 2.1 INTRODUCTION 12 2.2 ALTERNATIVE ROUTES OPTIONS 13 2.3 PYLON TOWERS 14 SECTION 3: REGION AND SITES DESCRIPTION 16 3.1 INTRODUCTION 16 3.2 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 16 3.3 CULTURAL LANDSCAPE 17 3.4 BUILT ENVIRONMENT 21 SECTION 4: HERITAGE LEGISLATION & ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 22 4.1 INTRODUCTION 22 4.2 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTEXT AND STATUTORY FRAMEWORK 22 4.2.1 Overview 22 4.2.2 National Heritage Resources Act No. 25 of 1999 (NHRA) 22 4.2.3 Existing Heritage Studies 23 4.3 HERITAGE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 24 4.3.1 Definition of Cultural Significance and Criteria for the Assessment of Cultural Significance 24 4.3.2 Contextual/Experiential Significance 25 4.3.3 Assessments of Impacts 25 4.4 PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES 26 4.5 HERITAGE INDICATORS AND THEIR APPLICATION 27 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ii BRIDGET O’DONOGHUE & SALLY TITLESTAD HERITAGE CONSULTANTS IN ASSOCIATION ESKOM PROPOSED 2nd 765KV POWERLINES GAMMA KAPPA SPECIALIST ASSESSMENT OF SPATIAL HISTORY, CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT SECTION 5 IDENTIFIED HERITAGE RESOURCES & STATEMENTS OF HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE 37 5.1 INTRODUCTION 37 5.2 ROUTE OPTION 1 38 5.3 ROUTE OPTION 2 39 5.4 ROUTE OPTION 3 41 SECTION 6: IMPACT ASSESSMENT 42 6.1 INTRODUCTION 42 6.2 ZONES AND ROUTE OPTIONS 43 6.3 ASSESSMENT TABLES 44 6.3.1 Impact Assessment Route Option 3 44 6.3.2 Impact Assessment Route Option 2 51 6.3.3 IMPACT ASSESSMENT ROUTE OPTION 3 60 6.4 SUMMARY OF IMPACT ASSESSMENT 68 SECTION 7 RECOMMENDATIONS OF SPECIALIST ASSESSMENT 68 SECTION 8 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SOURCES 69 ANNEXURE 1: RECORDS OF DECISION APPLICABLE TO THE STUDY 74 ANNEXURE 2: BRIEF HISTORICAL TIMELINE FOR THE GREAT KAROO AND THE KOUP (NORTHERN AND WESTERN CAPE) 75 ANNEXURE 3: MAP BOOK SHOWING BUILT STRUCTURES ASSESSED WITHIN CORRIDORS 88 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ iii BRIDGET O’DONOGHUE & SALLY TITLESTAD HERITAGE CONSULTANTS IN ASSOCIATION ESKOM PROPOSED 2nd 765KV POWERLINES GAMMA KAPPA SPECIALIST ASSESSMENT OF SPATIAL HISTORY, CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT TABLE OF FIGURES: Figure 1: Location of proposed new 765kV transmission line within South Africa (Metro GIS, 2013) 12 Figure 2: Kappa Gamma 2nd 765kV powerlines corridors options 1 (red line), Option 2 (green line), Option 3 (blue line) Metro GIS 2013 13 Figure 3: Pylons for 765kV powerlines (ESKOM Line Engineering services, ESKOM 400kV and 765kV Tower Guide May 2013) 14 Figure 4: Existing powerlines immediately south of Gamma substation, iillustrating the difference in height between 400kV self supporting suspension pylons and the 765kV Guyed-V suspension pylons (765kV powerline right), BOD/ST 2013 15 Figure 5: The northern part of the Great Karoo landscape showing undulating features (BOD & ST, 2013) 18 Figure 6: Merweville Dutch Reformed Church building, a Provincial Heritage site and raison d'etre for the creation of a settlement (BoD and ST 2013) 19 Figure 7: Cultural landscape regions occurring along the length of the alternate routes, Metro GIS 2013 20 Figure 8: Existing powerline infrastructure on N1 roadway 31 Figure 9: Images Laingsburg context 31 Figure 10: Images Merweville 32 Figure 11: Images Gamma Kappa 765kV Transmission line south Beaufort West 33 Figure 12: Images Karoo National Park 34 Figure 13: Images Beaufort West to Gamma Substation 35 Figure 14: Images Karoo Landscape Option Route 1 Corridor north Laingsburg 36 Figure 15: Kappa Gamma 2nd 765kV powerlines corridors options 1 (red line), Option 2 (green line), Option 3 (blue line) Metro GIS 2013 37 Figure 16: Gamma Kappa 2nd 765kV powerline alternatives: Cultural landscape diagram identifying significant settlements along proposed routes, BOD/ST 2013 42 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ iv BRIDGET O’DONOGHUE & SALLY TITLESTAD HERITAGE CONSULTANTS IN ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This assessment constitutes specialist input on spatial history, cultural landscape and the built environment towards the Heritage Impact Assessment component of and EIA conducted in line with the requirements of the National Environmental Management Act (Act 107/1998). The proposal is for a second 765kV powerline between Gamma and Kappa substations in the Northern and Western Cape. The three alternative powerline routes identified by ESKOM all start at Gamma substation (southeast of Victoria West) and end at Kappa (Koruson) substation, north of Touws River. This specialist assessment identifies, assesses and maps the heritage resources within the three identified alternative 4km powerline corridors. It also provides heritage design indicators for development and assesses the potential impacts of the proposed powerlines on the identified heritage resources within the corridors. It assesses the impacts of the proposals on spatial history, cultural landscape and the built environment. The recommendations of the assessment are that the heritage indicators are adopted; that route option 2 is the preferred route as it constitutes lower impact on heritage resources due to already existing infrastructure along this proposal. We further recommend mitigation of impacts by repositioning a section of the route south of the current proposal affecting the settlement of Merweville and farmsteads Goede Hoop, Kraanskraal, Knoffelfontein, Bokrivier, Meintiesplaas, Avondrus, and Saaiplaas. GLOSSARY AND DEFINITIONS The approach to the definitions and application of the HIA is extracted from the National Heritage Resources Act, no 25 of 1999 and the ICOMOS Australian Burra Charter, revised in 1999. Adaptation The process of adaptation introduces a sufficient degree of flexibility to the treatment of a place or resource to enable change to be managed and still fulfil conservation objectives (Kerr, Baumann). Such change should be appropriate and should not affect the cultural significance of a structure or site. Associations Associations mean the special connections that exist between people and a place. Significant associations between people and a place should be respected, retained and not obscured. Opportunities for the interpretation, commemoration and celebration of these associations should be investigated and implemented. Archaeological resources Material remains resulting from human activities which are older than 100 years including artefacts, human and hominid remains and artificial features and structures which are in a state of disuse. They may also include rock art, marine shipwrecks and structures associated with military history (NHR Act). Authenticity That which is genuine or original and not in an altered or modified state. Authenticity may reside in the fabric itself with its evidence of workmanship and age, or in the design and layout of a place or in the integrity of traditions. It may reside in use, customs, appropriate technology and ownership associated most closely with the heritage resource (Kerr, modified). Compatible use Compatible use means a use that respects the cultural significance of a place. Such a use must have minimal or no impact on cultural significance. Context The area around a place or heritage resource, which may include the visual catchment (Burra). (May also refer to how a resource is “read” and understood, and as a result may refer to the histories and societal values associated with it.) Conservation Conservation means all the processes of looking after a place so as to retain its cultural significance. Contextual value The cumulative value associated with an object or place when read as part of a whole. (MA). Cultural landscape A physical area with natural features and elements modified due to human activity and resulting in patterns of evidence layered over time in the landscape, which give a place its distinctive spatial, historical, aesthetic, symbolic and memorable character (Lennon, Australia- modified). ESKOM PROPOSED 2nd 765KV POWERLINES GAMMA KAPPA SPECIALIST ASSESSMENT OF SPATIAL HISTORY, CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT Cultural significance Cultural significance