A front-end loader appeared on the south-eastern shores of Langebaan Lagoon and began ripping away a strip of vegetation in what appeared to be a clearing operation for the Shark Bay development that was recently turned down by the authorities.

The land, Klein Oostewal, is regarded as environmentally sensitive and is close to the West Coast National Park. Residents opposed to the Shark Bay development said yesterday that they were “shocked and amazed” that the developer appeared to be clearing the land anyway.

Johan Ackron, convenor of the Langebaan Action Committee says the owner, Riccardo Scarpellini, intends to build a private house on the site, which he is entitled to do, but had started clearing the land without the necessary environmental authorisation.

The Langebaan Ratepayers’ Association has lodged a complaint with the provincial department of environment. A law enforcement officer from the department was sent to inspect the site on Friday.

Apparently about 7 000 sqm of vegetation had been stripped away and the Association alleges that Scarpellini “was not within his rights” to clear away this environmentally sensitive vegetation without specific environmental authorisation.

Moreover, residents are incensed because Scarpellini has threatened to close a public-access gravel road that leads to the popular wind-surfing beaches along the lagoon. Scarpellini says that he has the right to close that road and to clear the vegetation on the land.

He is one of the partners in Dormell Properties 391 which owns the Klein Oostewal property where the Shark Bay was due to be developed. He says that he has lodged an appeal against government’s decision to prevent him from going ahead with the Shark Bay development.  

Scarpellini says that he bought the land in 2005 with sub-divisional rights for a township. He also applied to the Saldanha Bay municipality for the right to build two houses on the property and this was approved and he has been clearing the land to start building the properties.

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