Plate 3: Viewpoint Panoramas
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Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed development of the Kap Vley Wind Energy Facility near Kleinzee in the Northern Cape Plate 3: Viewpoint Panoramas Visual Impact Assessment Report, pg 36 Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed development of the Kap Vley Wind Energy Facility near Kleinzee in the Northern Cape Plate 4: Viewpoint Panoramas Visual Impact Assessment Report, pg 37 Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed development of the Kap Vley Wind Energy Facility near Kleinzee in the Northern Cape Plate 5: Viewpoint Panoramas Visual Impact Assessment Report, pg 38 Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed development of the Kap Vley Wind Energy Facility near Kleinzee in the Northern Cape Plate 6: Viewpoint Panoramas Visual Impact Assessment Report, pg 39 Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed development of the Kap Vley Wind Energy Facility near Kleinzee in the Northern Cape Plate 7: Viewpoint Panoramas Visual Impact Assessment Report, pg 40 Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed development of the Kap Vley Wind Energy Facility near Kleinzee in the Northern Cape Plate 8: Viewpoint Panoramas – Powerline Alternatives Visual Impact Assessment Report, pg 41 Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed development of the Kap Vley Wind Energy Facility near Kleinzee in the Northern Cape CURRICULUM VITAE Visual Impact Assessment Report, pg 42 Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed development of the Kap Vley Wind Energy Facility near Kleinzee in the Northern Cape Visual Impact Assessment Report, pg 43 Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed development of the Kap Vley Wind Energy Facility near Kleinzee in the Northern Cape Visual Impact Assessment Report, pg 44 HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT SCOPING AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR THE PROPOSED KAP VLEY WIND ENERGY FACILITY, NAMAKWALAND MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT, NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE: EIA PHASE REPORT SAHRA Case No.: 11654 Required under Section 38 (8) of the National Heritage Resources Act (No. 25 of 1999). Report for: CSIR – Environmental Management Services P.O. Box 320, Stellenbosch, 7599 Tel: 021 888 2495 Email: [email protected] On behalf of: juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd Dr Jayson Orton ASHA Consulting (Pty) Ltd 40 Brassie Street, Lakeside, 7945 Tel: (021) 788 8425 | 083 272 3225 Email: [email protected] 1st draft: 12 September 2017 2nd draft: 27 January 2018 Final report: 17 March 2018 Specialist declaration I, JAYSON ORTON, as the appointed independent specialist, in terms of the 2014 EIA Regulations, hereby declare that I: • I act as the independent specialist in this application; • I perform the work relating to the application in an objective manner, even if this results in views and findings that are not favourable to the applicant; • regard the information contained in this report as it relates to my specialist input/study to be true and correct, and do not have and will not have any financial interest in the undertaking of the activity, other than remuneration for work performed in terms of the NEMA, the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, 2014 and any specific environmental management Act; • I declare that there are no circumstances that may compromise my objectivity in performing such work; • I have expertise in conducting the specialist report relevant to this application, including knowledge of the Act, Regulations and any guidelines that have relevance to the proposed activity; • I will comply with the Act, Regulations and all other applicable legislation; • I have no, and will not engage in, conflicting interests in the undertaking of the activity; • I have no vested interest in the proposed activity proceeding; • I undertake to disclose to the applicant and the competent authority all material information in my possession that reasonably has or may have the potential of influencing - any decision to be taken with respect to the application by the competent authority; and - the objectivity of any report, plan or document to be prepared by myself for submission to the competent authority; • I have ensured that information containing all relevant facts in respect of the specialist input/study was distributed or made available to interested and affected parties and the public and that participation by interested and affected parties was facilitated in such a manner that all interested and affected parties were provided with a reasonable opportunity to participate and to provide comments on the specialist input/study; • I have ensured that the comments of all interested and affected parties on the specialist input/study were considered, recorded and submitted to the competent authority in respect of the application; • all the particulars furnished by me in this specialist input/study are true and correct; and • I realise that a false declaration is an offence in terms of regulation 48 and is punishable in terms of section 24F of the Act. Name of Specialist: ___Dr Jayson Orton_____________________ Signature of the specialist: _______________________________ Date: _______27 January 2018_________________________ ASHA Consulting (Pty) Ltd | Reg. no.: 2013/220482/07 iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ASHA Consulting (Pty) Ltd was appointed by juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd to conduct an assessment of the potential impacts to heritage resources that might occur through the proposed development of the Kap Vley Wind Energy Facility (WEF) near Komaggas, Northern Cape. The centre of the proposed WEF would be at approximately S29° 51’ 20” E17° 22’ 20”. The study area is one with strongly variable topography characterised by quartzite ridges with climbing and falling dunes surrounding them. The dunes and hill slopes are largely vegetated but some open deflating areas occur. The turbines and other infrastructure will be placed largely on the ridgelines and intervening high ground with only the access roads leading from the lowlands onto the hills. The survey revealed many archaeological sites, mostly Stone Age but also some historical sites, as well as two graveyards. The cultural landscape is weakly developed and relates to small stock farming. However, the Kamaggas Farm landscape is associated with living heritage in that it is used for traditional small stock herding and the gathering of wild products. All recorded archaeological sites have been avoided by the final layout but it is likely that at least some new sites would be found during a follow-up survey. Overall, the potential impacts are considered to be generally manageable and, from a heritage point of view, the development may proceed. The nature of the archaeological sites seen during the survey suggests that any new sites that might be impacted would not be any different in terms of cultural significance and mitigation requirements from the sites reported here. The only project alternatives available for assessment were the access roads. While neither will result in any impacts, the northern one, option 1, is slightly favoured because Option 2 runs in close proximity to heritage resources. Because the impacts to heritage resources are manageable, it is recommended that the proposed Kap Vley Wind Energy Facility should be authorised. This should be subject to the following conditions which must be incorporated into the Environmental Authorisation: • All significant archaeological sites identified must be protected from harm. Where necessary to effect this, sites should be cordoned off; • The graveyards at PAN2017/001 (waypoint 1376) and PAN2017/003 (waypoint 1378) must be cordoned off as necessary, avoided and protected; • The historical sites at PAN2017/002 (waypoint 1377), PAN2017/004 (waypoint 1399), PAN2017/005 (waypoint 1413) and KOM2017/001 (waypoint 1420) must be cordoned off if necessary, protected and avoided; • Roads must be designed in such a way as to minimise cut and fill operations in order to reduce landscape scarring; • The final approved layout should be subjected to a pre-construction walk-down survey to identify any further sites that may require mitigation; • If any archaeological material or human burials are uncovered during the course of development then work in the immediate area should be halted. The find would need to be reported to the heritage authorities and may require inspection by an archaeologist. Such heritage is the property of the state and may require excavation and curation in an approved institution. ASHA Consulting (Pty) Ltd | Reg. no.: 2013/220482/07 iv Glossary Background scatter: Artefacts whose spatial position is conditioned more by natural forces than by human agency. Dorbank: A layer of very hard sand that has been cemented by only minimally soluble materials. Early Stone Age: Period of the Stone Age extending approximately between 2 million and 200 000 years ago. Handaxe: A bifacially flaked, pointed stone tool type typical of the Early Stone Age. Holocene: The geological period spanning the last approximately 10-12 000 years. Hominid: a group consisting of all modern and extinct great apes (i.e. gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans and humans) and their ancestors. Later Stone Age: Period of the Stone Age extending over the last approximately 20 000 years. Middle Stone Age: Period of the Stone Age extending approximately between 200 000 and 20 000 years ago. Pleistocene: The geological period beginning approximately 2.5 million years ago and preceding the Holocene.