Heritage Cases

The diesel depot has been in existence adjacent to the N1 for many years on Portion 7 of the Farm Avenham 2187. The operator rented the area used for the diesel depot, but as the owner no longer want to rent the area out, the operator bought the adjacent portion, namely Portion 5 of Avenham 2187 and it is proposed to basically relocate the existing facilities to the new site. The applicant has various contracts with many transport companies and can sell the product for a better price than the usual market. It is therefore compulsory for trucks of the account holders to make use of a specific Diesel Depot(s). The fuel will be stored in above ground tanks. The relocation of the facility will not have a significant impact on traffic volumes. Although the facility will be more attractive, visibility from the N1 will decrease. As far as the overnight facilities are concerned, these will mostly be used by the existing clients and are not expected to generate considerably more trips. The time when trips are made might however change as trucks normally stop to overnight between 19:00 and 21:00 and depart between 5:00 and 7:00. As traffic volumes at the interchange are low, a change in traffic patterns will not have a significant impact on traffic conditions, especially not considering the time when the trucks will arrive and leave the truck stop. The proposed project entails the translocation from the existing premises to the newly proposed premises on Portion 5 of the farm Avenham, Bloemfontein. The newly proposed site also offers adequate space to provide overnight parking bays for at least 150 trucks and wash bays. It is also suggested that a workshop for trucks be constructed. A convenience store, restaurant and take-away facilities are also a possibility. It is anticipated that the applicant store between 80 000 and 500 000 litres of fuel per given interval on site. The proposed site is an ideal location, as the N1 makes an off ramp that leads right to the business and customer can easily reach the business without any hassle. In addition, due to the historic land use the site is in a degraded condition and the natural vegetation composition has been transformed to a large degree. The proposed new site was previously utilised as a crocodile farm and the structures and infrastructure associated with it, is still present on the site. Wastes such as scrap metal, construction materials and skeletal remains of crocodile food are littered around the site. Overgrazing is considered relatively high, but this may also have been caused by human activities on the site.