Village Ridge: New layout proposed

GEORGE NEWS - The approved layout for the Village Ridge housing development on erven 21028 and 21029 in Loch Lomondry Road, King George Park, would have resulted in "serious and permanent loss of ecologically important and sensitive wetland habitat", according to an environmental impact report by environmental consultants Confluent Environmental.

Confluent is now proposing an alternative layout that would preserve the habitat of various frog species and in particular an endangered species, the Knysna leaf-folding frog (Afrixalus knysnae) on the site.

The proposed revised layout incorporates open space of almost 8 000m² for the preservation of wetland and buffer areas, following a survey by Ekologik Environmental Science and Consulting that led to the identification of the Knysna leaf-folding frog.

To make space for the conservation areas, the revised layout plan proposes, among others, a reduction in the number of residential erven (99 single residential reduced to 95, and 86 general residential plots reduced to 60).

The original development layout plan was approved by George Municipality in September 2020 and Power Construction started with groundwork in May 2021.

However, soon after, it received directives from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP) and the Breede-Gouritz Catchment Management Agency (BGCMA) to halt the clearing of the site. The works were stopped towards the end of August 2021.

No environmental authorisation

According to Confluent's report, environmental authorisation should have been obtained before starting the works because of the presence of the wetlands close to and also within the footprint of the development.

During Power's preparatory site work, a wetland on Erf 21028 was excavated and partially infilled, and riparian vegetation along a steep slope next to the Camphersdrift wetland was also cleared.

Rehabilitation of these areas is now taking place.

A 60-day public commenting period ends on 10 June 2022. Cape Eaprac is handling the application for authorisation from the environmetal affairs department and the catchment management agency.

Recommendations

Among the proposals for preserving the wetlands, Ecologik recommends a special fencing system to deter human and domestic animal intrusion in the conserved area.

The barrier should allow migration of other frog species and wildlife into and out of the wetland area as well as towards the other natural areas around the development.

According to Ekologik, the Knysna leaf-folding frog has not previously been sampled in this area. The species is reported to have an estimated area of occupancy* of less than 27km² and an estimated extent of occurrence* of just over 815km².

The consultants say that conserving habitat for this species is therefore an important goal of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Amphibian Specialist Group.

Public opposition

The Village Ridge development had been opposed from before municipal approval was granted. Ratepayers in the area had aired concerns over the effect of the high-density development on the value of their properties as well as the increased traffic load that would result from more than 100 new housing units.

The neighbourhood has two exits - at the Outeniqua Stadium/Langenhoven Street junction and along Barkhuizen Drive and Plattner Boulevard - both of which are already heavily congested during peak hours.

* Area of occupancy (AOO) - an area occupied by a species within its EOO, excluding cases of vagrancy. This measure reflects the fact that a species will not usually occur throughout the area of its EOO, which may contain unsuitable or unoccupied habitats.

* Extent of occurrence (EOO) - the smallest area that could contain all sites of a species' population.

The area abutting the Camphersdrift system has been demarcated and is under rehabilitation.