Mo Rush
April 5th, 2006, 07:30 PM
South Africa: Major Film Studio for Cape Town Gets Go-Ahead
April 5, 2006
Cape Town
The Western Cape Minister of Environment, Planning and Economic Development, Tasneem Essop, today announced that the application for the long-awaited Dreamworld film studio complex in the province has been approved.
But she has stipulated certain conditions.
An earlier decision on the multimillion rand Dreamworld studio - to be built near Khayelitsha, Blue Downs and Eersterivier - was appealed by the Wildlife and Environmental Society of SA (WESSA) and CapeNature.
Ms Essop held a site inspection and an appeal hearing on February 6, where all sides were able to outline their positions and concerns, one of which was the potential impact on wetlands, in terms of which environmentally-important wetlands would have been degraded.
Under the conditions of Ms Essop's appeal decision, the overall impact on the wetlands has been substantially reduced.
"In authorising this significant development, mitigation measures will be put in place and will include appropriate buffering, the compilation of environmental management plans for both the construction and operation phases of the development and the creation of an environmental monitoring committee," said a statement released by Ms Essop's media liaison officer today.
A further condition for the film studio is an offset amount of R1,84 million to a fund to be established by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, and CapeNature.
These funds would be used for conservation purposes such as the Working for Wetlands programmes, biodiversity management and other conservation initiatives related to wetlands, said the statement.
"I believe that in making this decision we have found a win-win solution for all parties concerned, including the broader interests of all the people in the Western Cape Province.
"Our Bill of Rights says that we have to prevent pollution and ecological degradation, promote conservation and secure ecological sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development," Ms Essop said.
The location of the film studio "places critical economic infrastructure in a previously neglected and poverty stricken node", said Ms Essop, adding that the wetland would be protected as well.
Around 8 000 jobs will be created directly through the massive studio project, which is set to give a massive boost to an already thriving Cape film scene that brings hundreds of millions of rands into the local economy.
"We have protected the critical wetland, promoted, through this development that 8 000 direct jobs will be created and the location of the film studio itself", she said.
Because of the location of the studio - in a key node on the impoverished Cape Flats - the poorer communities of the Cape Town are likely to be among the prime beneficiaries of the development.
Apart from the 8 000 jobs to be created, there were likely to be many other work opportunities created in the value chain of the film industry, Ms Essop said.
April 5, 2006
Cape Town
The Western Cape Minister of Environment, Planning and Economic Development, Tasneem Essop, today announced that the application for the long-awaited Dreamworld film studio complex in the province has been approved.
But she has stipulated certain conditions.
An earlier decision on the multimillion rand Dreamworld studio - to be built near Khayelitsha, Blue Downs and Eersterivier - was appealed by the Wildlife and Environmental Society of SA (WESSA) and CapeNature.
Ms Essop held a site inspection and an appeal hearing on February 6, where all sides were able to outline their positions and concerns, one of which was the potential impact on wetlands, in terms of which environmentally-important wetlands would have been degraded.
Under the conditions of Ms Essop's appeal decision, the overall impact on the wetlands has been substantially reduced.
"In authorising this significant development, mitigation measures will be put in place and will include appropriate buffering, the compilation of environmental management plans for both the construction and operation phases of the development and the creation of an environmental monitoring committee," said a statement released by Ms Essop's media liaison officer today.
A further condition for the film studio is an offset amount of R1,84 million to a fund to be established by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, and CapeNature.
These funds would be used for conservation purposes such as the Working for Wetlands programmes, biodiversity management and other conservation initiatives related to wetlands, said the statement.
"I believe that in making this decision we have found a win-win solution for all parties concerned, including the broader interests of all the people in the Western Cape Province.
"Our Bill of Rights says that we have to prevent pollution and ecological degradation, promote conservation and secure ecological sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development," Ms Essop said.
The location of the film studio "places critical economic infrastructure in a previously neglected and poverty stricken node", said Ms Essop, adding that the wetland would be protected as well.
Around 8 000 jobs will be created directly through the massive studio project, which is set to give a massive boost to an already thriving Cape film scene that brings hundreds of millions of rands into the local economy.
"We have protected the critical wetland, promoted, through this development that 8 000 direct jobs will be created and the location of the film studio itself", she said.
Because of the location of the studio - in a key node on the impoverished Cape Flats - the poorer communities of the Cape Town are likely to be among the prime beneficiaries of the development.
Apart from the 8 000 jobs to be created, there were likely to be many other work opportunities created in the value chain of the film industry, Ms Essop said.