Drift residents not happy about Happy Island water park
Apart from the water concerns, the second biggest concern is the rezoning of the area, which is currently zoned for agricultural use.
A group of residents, dubbed the Save Our Valley Group, are very concerned about the way Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) has conducted itself in planning a water park in the Muldersdrift area.
According to the group, MCLM has given developers the go-ahead to construct Happy Island Water World, which looks to open its doors by the end of this year. The water park will be situated just off Beyers Naudé Drive (M5) with the entrance on Valley Drive.
The plans for the park include numerous water slides, swimming pools, restaurants, play areas, gardens and a massive parking area.
When the News met with a few members of the group to discuss their concerns, they highlighted some issues they deem very serious. Most of them also stem from the scoping report that was compiled last year.
The group said if a neighbour had not noticed the excavations being done at the proposed site, none of them would have known about the public participation meetings. Only after the neighbour had queried about where the environmental assessment report was, were notifications were put up on street light poles and street signs. However, a day later, they had already been removed. There was also a notification in the Cosmo City Chronicle, a local newspaper that does not even feed the Muldersdrift area.
Neighbours in the area started notifying their fellow neighbours, who in turn decided to take a stand, but they said they were mistreated and made to feel like a bunch of lepers at a question-and-answer meeting convened specifically for affected and interested parties.
“Our questions were answered smugly. We were told that our concerns were trivial and that we blatantly wanted to prevent this development,” one member of the group said.
Their first and most important concern is water – where will it come from, the amount the park is going to use and who will be paying for it. These are concerns they keep reiterating.
Apart from the water concerns, the second biggest concern is the rezoning of the area, which is currently zoned for agricultural use.
The group strongly feels that if the construction goes ahead and the park opens its gates, nothing will be left of the quiet and country-like atmosphere of area.
“As it stands we do not receive any services from MCLM since it is an agricultural area. We are seriously worried about noise pollution during and after construction. What about waste and sewage control? Not to mention the pollution, traffic and possible crime coming to the area. An estimated 12 000 people are expected to be flocking to this area on a weekend.”
The News approached Chris van der Westhuizen, the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Services in MCLM to talk about the water park. Van der Westhuizen first agreed to a meeting, but then asked the News to rather send questions to the spokesperson who would pass it on to the various role players. This was done on 18 January and to date, no answers or even a statement about the water park has been received.
The Save our Valley Group has in the interim attended another public meeting during which they were advised to seek legal advice immediately.
“This [project] will not materialise because nothing about this was done right,” another member of the group said.
The News will keep readers updated as this story develops.
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