Oil and gas, billboards, illegal land occupation
Hessequa-munisipale raad sal van Maandag, 14 Desember tot Woensdag 20 Januarie in reses gaan.
Speaker van die raad, Andrew Stroebel het tydens Woensdag, 25 November se raadsvergadering die resesdatums aangekondig. Hy het dit egter duidelik gestel dat die resesperiode nie ‘n vakansie beteken nie.
Volgens Stroebel sal daar geen raadsvergaderings tydens dié periode wees nie.
Raadslede sal egter hul verpligtinge teenoor die gemeenskap moet nakom.
Vergaderings, soos belastingbetalers- en ander verenigings sal steeds bygewoon moet word. Projekte moet gemonitor word en raadslede sal die nodige funksies moet bywoon.
Uitvoerende burgemeester Grant Riddles het 2020 as ‘n moeilike jaar in sy feesboodskap beskryf.
“Almal het baie hoop gehad en dis net so weggevat deur die pandemie,” het Riddles gesê.
Hy het gemaan dat almal by die Covid-19voorkomingsmaatreëls moet hou.
“Onthou, daar is nou 6 000 mense in Stilbaai. Eersdaags is daar 60 000,” het hy as rede tot kommer aangevoer.
At the latest meeting of the Mossel
Bay Municipal Council on Thursday, 26 November, notable decisions were made on contentious issues.
Developments in the oil and gas industry urged the Mossel Bay Municipality to participate actively.
Sites for outdoor advertising in Mossel Bay have been determined, but the decision was made not to erect billboards in Great Brak River. The illegal occupation of land has ruined plans for a vegetable seedling nursery in KwaNonqaba.
Oil and Gas Forum
Councillors noted the Municipality’s participation in the Oil and Gas Task Team and approved local government’s participation in the Oil and Gas Forum going forward.
The Municipal Manager will negotiate and finalise the draft Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the Council, while the Executive Mayor, Alderman Harry Levendal, will sign it on behalf of the Mossel Bay Municipality.
Council also gave approval for the municipality to chair the Forum until a Chair is elected. The Municipality will provide non-financial assistance to the Forum. Should the need for co-funding arise, the request will be considered through the normal budget process. Until a Steering Committee is established, the municipality will assist with the management and coordination of communications on developments with the Forum. All identified projects will be referred to the Council for consideration and approval.
Outdoor advertising
The Council resolved to proceed with the necessary Advertising Impact Assessment and public participation processes for putting up outdoor advertising billboards in terms of the municipal by-law on Outdoor Advertising and Signage on eight of the 11 sites initially proposed.
The approved sites along Louis Fourie Road are:
near the intersections at the entrance to Dana Bay and the entrance road to Pinnacle
Point. at the soccer field. between Builders Home and the South. substation and opposite the road from the magistrate’s court building. near the SuperSpar and Langeberg Mall. on the sports field at the intersection of Kaap de Goede Hoop Avenue in Hartenbos.
A site long the N2 next to N2 Industria has also been approved.
The billboard at the intersection of Louis Fourie Road and Kaap de Goede Hoop Avenue will be used for municipal advertising purposes and the promotion of tourism, pending certain conditions.
Council approved a contract period of a maximum of 10 years for the lease of the billboard sites that will be made available following a competitive bidding process by means of a tender. The successful bidder will be responsible for construction and installation costs according to the tender specification and the provision of municipal services. The necessary insurance of the structure and its contents will also be for the bidder's account.
Considering the outcome of the public participation process, Council agreed not to have billboards erected in the Great Brak area at this stage.
Trust reimbursed
Council approved the retransfer of land initially sold to the Growing Hope Trust in KwaNonqaba and will refund the original purchase price to the Trust. This follows a deed of sale initially entered into in September 2017 for a piece of land along Tembelihle Avenue, KwaNonqaba, for the Growing Hope Trust to erect a vegetable seedling nursery and a Multifunctional Community and Training Centre.
However, the land has since been illegally occupied by informal dwellers. As a result the Trust could not develop the land for the purpose it was acquired. Following negotiations between the Growing Hope Trust and the Municipality, as well as a public participation process, it was decided to refund the original purchase price and retransfer the land to the local authority in a deed of sale.