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PUBLIC participation and co-operation between landowners, the Western Cape Provincial Administration's Transport Branch, Drakenstein Municipality and various consultants has enabled the design for the upgrading of sections of two major roads in Paarl to proceed without adversely affecting the historically sensitive vineyards and buildings in the area.
UWP Consulting was appointed to carry out the initial investigation and planning as well as the design, documentation and supervision of the R20-million project to upgrade the roads - sections of which run past numerous wine farms including the Nederburg Wine estate.
Both roads, Jan van Riebeeck Drive (MR 201) and Divisional Road DR1118, have sections, which are in an extremely poor condition. Neither road is considered adequate, in their current state, to carry existing and future levels of traffic.
A 2,1 km long section of Jan van Riebeeck Drive will be reconstructed as a dual carriageway with two surfaced lanes and a surfaced slow shoulder in each direction.
A five metre wide median will separate the carriageways and a two metre wide brick paved sidewalk will be incorporated.
In light of the area's historical significance and its location as one of the major entrances into Paarl, provision has also been made for extensive landscaping, including the planting of indigenous low maintenance vegetation in the medians and the planting of appropriate trees alongside the road.
According to UWP's Cape Town branch manager Adrian Skea, the alternative proposal of realigning Jan van Riebeeck Drive to the west of the existing road was the preferred choice of most of the land owners affected by the proposed reconstruction of this road.
"The proposed realignment is slightly longer and more expensive, but the owners of Groot Parys and Klein Parys farms have agreed to collectively fund the additional costs," says Skea.
A heritage impact study, in terms of Section 38 of the National Heritage Resources Act, has been completed to determine the environmental impact that the reconstruction and realignment of the road will have.
Included in the assessment is:
* The identification and mapping of all heritage resources in the affected area;
* An assessment of the significance of such heritage resources and the impact of the development on them;
* If heritage resources will be adversely affected by the proposed development, the consideration of alternatives and
* Plans for mitigation of any adverse effects during and after completion of the proposed development.
According to Skea the environmental and historical impact of the proposed development of the roads has been taken into consideration at each stage of the process.
Public opinion on the proposed project has also been sought and incorporated into the project design.
"The area has significance both historically and environmentally and this has led to the public and community being involved in the design process from the start," he says. |
THE proposed urban renewal project for Paarl - as outlined in a report commissioned by the Paarl Partnership - is good news not only for the town's CBD, but also has positive spin-offs for the area's property market - particularly in regard to property values, says Dr Andrew Golding, CE of the Pam