CATO RIDGE LAND AND DEVELOPMENT AND RELEASE PROJECT, CATO RIDGE, ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY, KWAZULU-NATAL (REF: DM/0006/2023: KZN/EIA/000)
1. Environmental Authorisation
A Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment (S&EIA) process was completed in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998) (NEMA) and the NEMA Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, 2014 (GN. 982 of 4 December 2014), as amended and submitted for Environmental Authorisation to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) on 29 June 2023. The final Environmental Impact Report, as submitted, can be accessed below.
EDTEA has taken the decision to grant Environmental Authorisation (EA) for the project. The reasons for the decision are included in the EA, link below. Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) have the right to appeal the decision in terms of the National Appeal Regulations, 2014 (as amended). A written appeal should be lodged with the appeals administrator by 6 November 2023 on the prescribed appeal form obtained from the EDTEA webpage. The appeals administrator can be contacted on 033 264 2651 or at haresh.inderlall@kznedtea.gov.za should assistance or further details on the appeals process be required.
2. Environmental Impact Report
The Cato Ridge Development Company (CRDC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Assmang Limited, plans to rezone and subdivide its own and Assmang-owned land north of the N3 highway in Cato Ridge over the next 25 years in three phases. The development’s phasing is dependent on the provision of bulk services infrastructure in the Cato Ridge area.
A Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment (S&EIA) process has been completed for the proposed Cato Ridge land development and release project on CRDC landholdings in Cato Ridge, eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal. The Cato Ridge area is intended to become the next industrial complex and logistic node for the eThekwini region to meet the growing demand for industrial land and provide logistics support to the Port of Durban.
3. The proposed development will include the following key components:
- Industrial sites (leased or sold) – The land will be used for light industry, warehousing, and logistics, with the exact final uses and designs to be determined once end-users are known and subject to sale or lease agreements.
- Applicant’s operations area and offices – including supporting infrastructure such as offices, ablution facilities, parking lots, paved areas, access roads, storage areas, and access-controlled areas (as per end-user requirements).
- Road network – An internal precinct road network will be constructed to service the sites. Roads will have requisite traffic controls, signage and markings.
- Power supply – Electrical substations and power lines (x2) will be installed subject to agreement with Eskom, and a roadside electrical network will provide power to individual sites.
- Bulk sewerage – A sewer pump station, collection sump, roadside sewer pipeline network, and a 2ML/d modular wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) will be installed.
- Bulk stormwater – A stormwater system will be constructed, including roadside drains, diversions, attenuation ponds, and discharge points.
- Bulk water – Roadside water supply pipelines and a 500kℓ elevated storage tank will be installed and connected with the regional water supply system.
Zutari (Pty) Ltd was appointed as the Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP). The application for Environmental Authorisation was submitted to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) and the Application for EA was undertaken in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998) (NEMA) 2014 EIA Regulations, as amended.
A draft Scoping Report was subjected to public review and comment in late 2022 and submitted with the Application for Environmental Authorisation (EA) on 13 January 2023, application reference number DM/0006/2023: KZN/EIA/000. The EDTEA accepted the Final Scoping Report on 17 April 2023 allowing the process to proceed to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) phase.
A draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was subjected to public review and comment ending 14 June 2023. A public meeting was held on 27 May 2023 at the Cato Ridge Golf Course and KwaXimba Community Hall. All written comments received have been captured and responded to in a Comments and Response Report (See Annexure I.11 below). The final EIR and Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) have been amended and submitted to EDTEA for decision-making. The Final EIR and Annexures can be accessed below. All Registered Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) will be notified of EDTEA’s decision in due course.
- Annexure D1 – DFFE screening report for Phase 1
- Annexure D2 – DFFE screening report for Phase 2
- Annexure D3 – DFFE screening report for Phase 3
- Annexure D4 – DFFE screening report for Phase 1 and 3 (Southern substation and powerline)
- Annexure D5 – DFFE screening report for Phase 2 (Option 1 northern substation and powerline)
- Annexure D6 – DFFE screening report for Phase 2 (Option 2 northern substation and powerline)
- Annexure E1 – Authority Kickoff Meeting Minutes_Feb 2021
- Annexure E2 – DWS Meeting (21.12.06)
- Annexure E3 – PICC letter (22.09.28)
Annexure E.4 – Land Claims Commission Confirmation Letter
- Annexure F1 – Minutes – EDTEA Pre-Application Meeting
- Annexure F2 – Minutes – EDTEA Pre App Meeting (21.10.28)
- Annexure F3 – Minutes – EDTEA Pre App Meeting (22.07.26)
- Annexure F4 – Minutes – EDTEA Pre App Meeting (22-08.17)
- Annexure F5 – Minutes – EDTEA Pre App Meeting (22.08.24)
- Annexure F6 – Draft Minutes – EDTEA Pre App Meeting (22.10.21)
- Annexure F.7 – Edtea Confidential Financial Information And Response 2023.02.06
- Annexure F.8 – Edtea Acknowledgement Of Application 2023.03.10
- Annexure F.9 – Edtea Acceptance Of The Final Scoping Report
- Annexure G1 – Pre-Feasibility Study Geotech report (20.01.29)
- Annexure G.2 – Desktop Geohydrology (23.03.14)
- Annexure G.3 – Hydropedological Assessment (23.04.18)
- Annexure G.4 – Hydrological Assessment (23.04.29)
- Annexure G.5 – Floodline Assessment (19.10.14)
- Annexure G.6 – Wetland and Aquatic Ecosystem Preliminary Impact Assessment (23.03.16)
- Annexure G.7 – Vegetation Assessment (23.04.25)
- Annexure G.8 – Biodiversity Offset Study (23.06.23)
- Annexure G.9 – Fauna Assessment (23.05.01)
- Annexure G.10 – Agricultural Assessment (23.04.05)
- Annexure G.11 – Heritage Impact Assessment (23.03.22)
- Annexure G.12 – Landscape And Visual Assessment Addendum (23.03.02)
- Annexure G12a – Original Visual Impact Assessment
- Annexure G.13 – Macroeconomic Study (23.04.19)
- Annexure G.14 – Socioeconomic Impact Assessment (Revised) (23.04.19)
- Annexure G.15 – Traffic Impact Assessment (23.06.21)
- Annexure G.16 – Aviation Assessment (Initial Obstacle Limitation Surface (Ols)) (22.10.14)
- Annexure G.17 – Air Quality Impact Assessment (22.01.18)
- Annexure G.18 – Green House Gas (Ghg) Inventory (23.03.16)
- Annexure G.19 – Climate Change Risk And Vulnerability Assessment (23.03.17)
- Annexure H.1 Biodiversity Offset Meeting (21.11.19)
- Annexure H.2 Biodiversity Offset Meeting (22.01.24)
- Annexure H.3 Biodiversity Offset Meeting (22.04.20)
- Annexure I1 – I&AP register
- Annexure I2 – Background Information Document (22.11.06)
- Annexure I3 – Minutes of Meeting with AmaXimba (21.0.27)
- Annexure I4 – Minutes of Key stakeholder (22.02.01)
- Annexure I5 – AmaXimba TC Draft minutes (22.10.26)
- Annexure I6 – Business stakeholders draft minutes (22.11.03)
- Annexure I7 – DSR PP Report
- Annexure I8 – Comment and Responses Report (DSR)
- Annexure I.9 – I&AP Project Status Update
- Annexure I.10 – EIR PP Report
- Annexure I.11 – EIR Phase Comments and Response Report
- Annexure J1 – Draft WWTW report (22.10.03)
- Annexure J2 – Draft Layout – Electrical (22.10.05)
- Annexure J3 – Draft Layout – Roads (22.09.22)
- Annexure J4 – Draft Water service report (22.10.27)
- Annexure J5 – Draft Layout – Water(22.10.27)
- Annexure J6 – Draft Sewer services report (22.10.27)
- Annexure J7 – Draft Layout – Sewer (22.10.27)
- Annexure J8 – Draft Layout – Sewer and electrical (22.10.27)
Annexure J.9 – Stormwater Management Plan
- Annexure K.1 Cato Ridge Empr
- Annexure K.2 Dffe Generic Empr For Substations
- Annexure K.3 Dffe Generic Empr For Powerlines
