4 May 2006
The proclamation and expropriation of land for the Gautrain Project has
begun. The proclamation of properties needed for the first phases of
construction will be published in the Provincial Gazette on Friday, 5 May 2006.
The areas affected by this proclamation are:
* Johannesburg Park Station and tunnel portal;
* Rosebank Station;
* Sandton Station;
* Marlboro tunnel portal;
* Marlboro Station;
* Maintenance Yard.
Land surveys and property valuations for all these properties have been
finalised and the majority of properties are already available with owners
starting to vacate at the end of April 2006.
Those properties not yet vacated are now in the position to give final 30
day notices to their tenants as was agreed with them. These property owners
will receive their official letters of proclamation/expropriation with offers
for compensation from Monday, 8 May 2006.
Discussions started with the affected property owners in October 2005 to
reach agreement on early access to their properties. In terms of the Gauteng
Transport Infrastructure Act (GTIA) letters of âintention to proclaim" were
handed to these landowners during December 2005.
Their final comments were received early in January 2006 and were provided
to the Gauteng MEC for Public Transport, Roads and Works, Ignatius Jacobs. He
approved the proclamation of these properties on 26 April 2006.
"This is truly a milestone towards the implementation of the Gautrain
Project. We have been involved in the planning and negotiations for quite some
time now and at last people will be able to see the project moving forward,"
said Jacobs.
"The importance of expropriation is that it allows for project construction
to commence. The procurement of land of this public transport infrastructure
project has to date taken place according to the GTIA," he concluded.
Jacobs gave affected landowners the assurance that each step of proclamation
and expropriation will be done according to the stipulations of this Act. "They
will all be treated in a fair and just manner," he said.
Progress on other sections of the Gautrain route is:
Surveys and valuations have been completed or are nearing completion in the
areas below and the majority of affected property owners have been visited by
the Gautrain valuers and surveyors.
* North-south line: From Marlboro northwards to just before the variant
alignment starts in Centurion. This is the area just before Techno Park.
* East-west line: From Marlboro to Rhodesfield including Cresslawn and
Spartan.
In terms of the GTIA a "Notice of Intention to Proclaim" must be given to
landowners before proclamation takes place and the public has 21 days to
comment on this notice. For the majority of the sections mentioned above the
notices will go out within the next two weeks. Proclamation and offers are to
be done early in June in the majority of the areas, subject to the final
approval by MEC Jacobs.
It is expected that the Phase two draft Preliminary Design document, which
includes the variant alignments as proposed by the preferred bidder, Bombela,
is to be published towards the end of May 2006.
This is, however, subject to the approvals required from the Gauteng
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment. The public will then
have a further 30 days to comment on the documents before MEC Jacobs will
consider the approval. After these approvals had been received the valuations
and surveys on these sections will be finalised.
Enquiries:
Barbara Jensen
Cell: 083 600 4862
E-mail: barbara@gautrain.co.za
Issued by: Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works, Gauteng
Provincial Government
4 May 2006
Source: SAPA
