Genevieve Serra|Published10 minutes agoCape Winelands Airport: Appeals against Environmental Authorisation dismissed

Cape Winelands Airport is strategically positioned to serve as an alternate airport for airlines flying into Cape Town. Appeals lodged against the Environmental Authorisation (EA) for the expansion of the Cape Winelands Airport have been dismissed. The news has been met with relief from developers, who in October confirmed it had received the green light from Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell.

Bredell last week said five appeals lodged in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) and the 2015 National Appeal Regulations, were dismissed. The airport, which is projected to open in 2028 or by early 2029, secured a landmark partnership with Growthpoint Properties. Bredell’s spokesperson, Wouter Kriel, said granting and approval was due to the supportive and comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA), which included the input of specialists and experts. “The granting of the EA was informed by a comprehensiveEIA report, which included numerous specialist studies on, amongst others, geohydrology, airquality, noise, botanical impacts, freshwater ecology, socio-economic impacts, agriculturalecosystems, and poultry biosecurity impacts,” said Kriel.