GEORGE NEWS - A passer-by at a small construction site at the Garden Route Dam was fooled into believing a worker who had told him that they were beginning to "mark out where the buildings and roads are going to be for the university".
The worker was referring to the proposed university development for which the George Municipality received environmental approval in September last year.
Municipal communications chief Chantèl Edwards upon enquiry said the current work at the dam pertains to scheduled preventive maintenance by Civil Engineering Services on the city's raw water pipelines.
"With regard to the Garden Route Dam development, please note the municipality has not received the Wula (water use licence); there are no land use approvals; there is no developer appointed; there are no approved building plans, and there is no university development identified for implementation," said Edwards.
The Garden Route Dam Action Group (Gardag) is raising funds to challenge the environmental approval in the Supreme Court after all appeals from residents had had no effect.
One of the biggest fears among concerned locals is potential pollution of the dam water by the development, which includes a commercial waterfront, a residential component and proposed university.
The municipality has appealed the dismissal of its water use licence by the Water and Sanitation Department and is awaiting the outcome of its appeal.
The Civil Engineering Services Department is working on the raw water pipeline, according to the municipality.
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