12 December 2007
Following a thorough consultative process between the interested and
affected parties and the applicant on the proposed A1 Grand Prix, the Head of
Department for the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs,
Advocate M Mannya today, Wednesday, 12 December 2007, granted authorisation for
the hosting of this major event.
The Head of Department stated that a holistic view was taken in reaching his
decision. The need for economic growth together with the possible social and
environmental impacts was taken into consideration. He has insisted that an
approved Environmental Management Plan must be in place prior to the
commencement of any activity. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) will
cover areas such as a noise management plan, a pedestrian plan, a
communications plan and a traffic management plan.
Special precautions must also be taken in order to ensure that the dune
vegetation is not interfered with during the commissioning, operation or the
decommissioning phase. Apart from the EMP, he has also placed stringent
conditions relating to the storage and handling of dangerous and hazardous
substances. The Environmental Authorisation goes further and makes provision
for a shuttle service for affected residents as well as provision to
accommodate frail and vulnerable persons who may not be able to tolerate the
noise during the main events.
In order to ensure compliance with the conditions of the Environmental
Authorisation, Advocate Mannya has instructed the organisers of the A1 Grand
Prix to submit weekly construction environmental audit reports to the
department. Given the scale of this event, the department has also set up a
management team to guide and monitor the various aspects of the event.
For enquiries please contact:
Haroon Karodia
Tel: 033 355 9624
Issued by: Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs,
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
12 December 2007
Source: SAPA
