Objections & Comments
Proposed Cellular Tower in De Rust
September 2020 Correspondence and images related to the objection to a proposed cellular tower in de Rust .
Material is listed in descending date order. (The correspondence is continued on the October/November page here).
From: rickety@imaginet.co.za <rickety@imaginet.co.za>
Sent: Wednesday, 23 September 2020 12:21
To: 'Waseefa Dhansay' <Waseefa.Dhansay@westerncape.gov.za>; 'Colette M Scheermeyer' <Colette.Scheermeyer@westerncape.gov.za>; 'Perception Planning' <perceptionplanning@gmail.com>
Cc: 'Marnus Barnard' <mcb1@telkomsa.net>; 'Johan Smit 2' <josmit@mweb.co.za>; 'hazel@opsa.co.za' <hazel@opsa.co.za>; 'lizette@oudtmun.gov.za' <lizette@oudtmun.gov.za>; 'gilbert@oudtmun.gov.za' <gilbert@oudtmun.gov.za>; 'vredelus@gmail.com' <vredelus@gmail.com>
Subject: Proposed Cell Tower in De Rust - Additional Related Information
Importance: High
Good day Waseefa
Please add the information attached regarding the action taken by the fiber telecommunications company Frogfoot in Kimberley as a result of representations by members of the public that their aerial poles to carry fiber infrastructure lines were being erected in heritage areas. These are now being removed by Frogfoot as a result of these representations including from the Northern Cape Heritage Authority.
If this type of action can be taking place in the Northern Cape how can Heritage Western Cape approve a 25 meter cell tower right in the center of the heritage area of De Rust. In addition the proposed cell tower is significantly higher than the aerial poles mentioned in the My Broadband article.
Please add this to my original letter querying the HWC approval as well as the letter from the Joint Heritage Permit Committee of the Greater Oudtshoorn Municipality.
Thanking you for a satisfactory response to this issue as well as confirmation of your receipt of this communication.
Best regards
Alan Tonkin
De Rust Heritage Conservation Association
Mobile: 082 777 1519
Click here for the attachment: De Rust Cell Tower Sept 2020.pdf
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From: rickety@imaginet.co.za <rickety@imaginet.co.za>
Sent: Thursday, 17 September 2020 16:02
To: 'gilbert@oudtmun.gov.za' <gilbert@oudtmun.gov.za>
Subject: FW: De Rust Heritage Proposed Cell Tower Sept 2020
Good day Gilbert
Attached please find the formal objection to the Proposed Cell Tower on Erf 204 De Rust from the De Rust Heritage Conservation Association. Please note I have been unable to sign the letter as my scanner seems to have developed a technical problem in doing this.
I would appreciate your formal confirmation of receipt of this objection as well as the reasons noted in our letter.
Thank you
Alan Tonkin
De Rust Heritage Conservation Association
Mobile: 082 777 1519
Click here for the attachment: De Rust Heritage Proposed Cell Tower Sept 2020.docx
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From: rickety@imaginet.co.za <rickety@imaginet.co.za>
Sent: Monday, 14 September 2020 11:57
To: 'Colette M Scheermeyer' <Colette.Scheermeyer@westerncape.gov.za>; 'Mxolisi Dlamuka' <Mxolisi.Dlamuka@westerncape.gov.za>; 'Jonathon.Windvogel@westerncape.gov.za' <Jonathon.Windvogel@westerncape.gov.za>; 'JULIA LE ROUX' <julialerouxkrowitz@gmail.com>
Cc: 'josmit@mweb.co.za' <josmit@mweb.co.za>; 'johansmit21@mweb.co.za' <johansmit21@mweb.co.za>; 'Marnus Barnard' <mcb1@telkomsa.net>; 'vredelus@gmail.com' <vredelus@gmail.com>; 'Ann Meiring' <ann.meiring@rawson.co.za>; 'Peter and Margaret Mouton' <jesspark@mweb.co.za>; 'hazel@opsa.co.za' <hazel@opsa.co.za>; 'Callie' <caburger@worldonline.co.za>
Subject: FW: PROPOSED CELLULAR TOWER - ERF 204 DE RUST - HWC Case No. 20021705JW0304E
Importance: High
Good morning Colette
I am attaching an e-mail to Peter Mouton a concerned De Rust resident as well as members of the De Rust Heritage Conservation Association regarding the HWC approval of a Proposed Cellular Tower in the Village for your urgent attention. This information has only just come to our notice and we therefore, require your response on how this can have happened.
As a registered heritage body the De Rust Heritage Conservation Association HWC/RCB/01/18 would appreciate feedback on how it was possible for Heritage Western Cape to approve an application for a proposed cellular tower of 25m in the historic center of De Rust and on the site of a Provincial Heritage building, the NG Kerk, without any contact with us? Surely this application, as a matter of due process by HWC, should have been directed to the registered heritage body, namely the De Rust Heritage Conservation Association? In addition, there was no opportunity offered for the De Rust village community to discuss this in any way which is contrary to the provisions in the National Heritage Resources Act. It also appears as if this application was pushed through during the Covid-19 Lockdown in order to obtain the necessary approval.
Our Previous Proposals for a Regional Heritage Body for the Southern Cape
I also refer to previous communications both at one on one meetings and by e-mail with HWC on related heritage issues over the past two years in terms of creating Regional Heritage Structures. This was suggested to adequately manage practical heritage issues on the ground in order to avoid confusion as experienced in the case above. This latest centralized decision from HWC with absolutely no consultation with the De Rust community, emphasizes the need for such a body in the Southern Cape in order to prevent similar errors occurring in the future. It is suggested that such a body could be established at no additional cost by utilizing your existing Board Member - Stephan de Kok who lives in George as Chair for this suggested new body. This would provide a direct link between the Southern Cape region and the HWC Board and should obviate errors such as this happening in the future. Details on the proposal were sent to you previously but are also available on our extensive website www.derustheritage.org.za under the section Heritage Western Cape.
The matter is to be discussed more fully on Tuesday 15 September, 2020 at the Greater Oudtshoorn Joint Heritage Permit Committee comprising the De Rust Heritage Conservation Committee, Heritage Oudtshoorn Erfenis and designated technical members of the Oudtshoorn Municipality. At this stage it is unclear why this application did not follow the correct communication channels.
I look forward to you response to the above query as well as the suggested regional proposal.
Best regards
Alan Tonkin
De Rust Heritage Conservation Association
Mobile: 082 777 1519
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From: rickety@imaginet.co.za <rickety@imaginet.co.za>
Sent: Sunday, 13 September 2020 14:07
To: 'Peter and Margaret Mouton' <jesspark@mweb.co.za>; 'lizette@oudtmun.gov.za' <lizette@oudtmun.gov.za>
Cc: 'Marnus Barnard' <mcb1@telkomsa.net>; 'josmit@mweb.co.za' <josmit@mweb.co.za>; 'johansmit21@mweb.co.za' <johansmit21@mweb.co.za>; 'vredelus@gmail.com' <vredelus@gmail.com>; 'Ann Meiring' <ann.meiring@rawson.co.za>; 'JULIA LE ROUX' <julialerouxkrowitz@gmail.com>; 'hazel@opsa.co.za' <hazel@opsa.co.za>
Subject: RE: PROPOSED CELLULAR TOWER - ERF 204 DE RUST
Importance: High
Good day Peter
Thank you for your enquiry and in terms of this I would suggest that you contact Marnus Barnard on 082 373 6373 who is the appointed De Rust Heritage representative on the Joint Heritage Committee for the Greater Oudtshoorn Municipality. This committee comprises members of both De Rust Heritage and Heritage Oudtshoorn Erfenis plus representatives from Town Planning and Building Control in the Municipality and will be meeting this coming Tuesday 15 September at the Town Planning Offices in Oudtshoorn.
The documents you are looking for are available on a pdf. on the Village Chat administered by Garth King. The letter from Heritage Western Cape is dated 23 March, 2020 and is addressed to Willem Francois Du Plooy at the United Reformed Church who must have been involved in the planning application. The HWC Case Number is 20021705JW0304E. I believe that the originals of these documents must have originated from Gilbert Cairncross at Town Planning in Oudtshoorn, who due to Covid-19 are only currently open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at present.
I wish to point out however, that the application was not correctly handled, as it has not been through the Joint Permit Committee at the Oudtshoorn Municipality. In other similar cases here in De Rust it has been necessary for Heritage Western Cape to reverse their approval until it has been discussed at the Greater Oudtshoorn local level first. As far as environmental compliance is concerned the original application made to the Regional Office of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Planning in George dated on 29 November, 2017 and their letter dated 07 March, 2018 states that no EIA is required as the site is designated for Institutional II use and does not fall under the current regulations contained in the Environmental Affairs Act.
In addition to the heritage implications, the letter from Gilbert Cairncross in Town Planning at the Oudtshoorn Municipality dated 25 August, 2020 and signed by the Acting Municipal Manager G. De Jager was evidently also sent by both post and e-mail to all affected residents (e-mail date on 11 September, 2020). The cut-off date for any formal objections in writing is Friday 25 September, 2020.
I have no knowledge of the proposed use of the tower as both Vodacom and MTN share the existing tower on the De Rust Koppie and Vodacom already have 4G available from this facility. The tower application is made by a company in Cape Town and if this is for Telkom it may be that as they are currently moving their customers from fixed line to wi-fi the proposed new tower may be required for those who still use the existing Telkom fixed line service in the Village and immediate district.
Marnus will be discussing this issue at the Joint Heritage Permit Committee on Tuesday and I would suggest you address any further queries to him directly.
I trust this addresses your queries.
Best regards
Alan Tonkin
Mobile: 082 777 1519
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From: Peter and Margaret Mouton <jesspark@mweb.co.za>
Sent: Saturday, 12 September 2020 13:23
To: rickety@imaginet.co.za
Subject: PROPOSED CELLULAR TOWER - ERF 204 DE RUST
Good afternoon Allan.
I hope you are keeping well.
Allan, please can you most kindly assist with certain information pertaining to the proposed erection of a cellular tower on Erf 204 De Rust.
I understand that this proposed tower has received approval from Heritage Western Cape. What I am looking for, please Allan, is the following:
1. Copy of the detailed approval document issued by Heritage Western Cape.
2. Copy of the environmental impact study undertaken by Heritage Western Cape (if in fact such a document was prepared) and/or a copy of the environmental impact study undertaken by Oudtshoorn Municipality or any 3rd party organisation qualified to do so.
3. Whether the proposed cellular tower will be 3G or if the intention is provide a 4G or higher signal.
3. Any other documents which may be relevant and of public interest to De Rust residents which may have been issued by Heritage Western Cape.
I have also approached Mr Cairncross at Oudtshoorn Municipality for his department's feedback and input.
I really hope you can provide us with the required information.
Many thanks Allan and kind regards.
Peter and Margaret Mouton,
17 Vrede Straat,
De Rust
6650
