Hi there

We have been quiet for a while with a lot of "behind the scenes" stuff going on.  Some of that we can now share with you along with some other news.

The Environmental Consultants have finally given in to pressure from US and are forging ahead with a FULL EIA & NEMA Scoping Report & due process!  Hurrah !  Save Shark Bay 1 - Developer 0!

Also, the Langebaan Action Group have tee'd up a meeting between the Head of the Parks Board's land aquisition department and the developer for talks about placing the land into the park.  This is set for the 15th of this month which is truly exciting news.  Unfortunately, the Developer's Consultants have gone ahead and released the New scoping report, which can be seen as bad timing on their part and nothing more.  We believe that the Developer wants to do the right thing and sell up, but it is early days.  The Developer's process will continue until a soluton is met.

This is the Press Release we have lodged to the newspapers.

"RESISTANCE TO DEVELOPMENT ON THE FRINGE OF LANGEBAAN LAGOON: A SMALL VICTORY FOR LOCAL ADVOCACY

The sustained efforts of concerned residents of Langebaan and others opposing the controversial proposed Baja Sardinia development on the eastern shore of Langebaan lagoon have been rewarded. Having claimed "voluntarily" to be meeting the legal requirements of NEMA in carrying out their EIA the aspirant developers Messrs Dormell Properties have, following community pressure founded on sound legal opinion been sent back to the drawing board by Province for not following the correct EIA approach. Indeed they have after 2 years been obliged to re-launch their EIA campaign. Despite their claims that they were misled by Province as to the correct procedure it begs the question of course as to why the environmental assessment professionals retained by them and enjoined by statute impartially to serve due process had not from the start set them on the right course. We are resuscitating the website savesharkbay.org and encourage concerned citizens once again to register their comm ents and objections as before to stop this gratuitous destruction for naked financial gain of yet another piece of what remains of our lagoon heritage. The documentation currently being circulated pursuant to the re-launched initiative is still shot through with errors and inaccuracies.

In a related parallel development the Head: Park Planning & Development of SANParks, Dr. Michael Knight at a recent meeting with the Langebaan Action Group indicated SANParks' interest in acquiring the land in question for incorporation into the management of West Coast National Park since it has greater strategic value to the Park and the community than it has for the kind of development currently proposed there. Indeed this has been the intention since 1984 and is so reflected in the current SDF of Greater Saldanha.  A meeting is to take place on 15 September 2008 with the aspirant developers who still appear determined to fly in the face of sustained public opposition in colonizing this property for the benefit of a privileged few and at the expense of community and conservation interests. How they respond to these latest initiatives to secure this land as a public asset for the benefit of and accessible by all will provide the true test of their commitment to the interests of Langebaan."

Keep and eye on the site and we will again require a new Objection to the "New" Scoping Report.  Oh, and if you want to check out the scoping report and more, you can view it on Doug Jeffrey's website ::www.dougjeff.co.za under Projects or at the Langebaan Library.  Also, you may note that the vulgar name of Baia Sardinia (Sp?) is no more!  Now it is "Shark Bay."  Perhaps this site should be renamed... "Save Klien Oosterwal?"  Savesharkbay.org 2 - Developer 0 !

Please email or message me if you have any questions.

Cheers

Rob