Proposed Milnerton Lagoon Dredging

PROPOSED DREDGING OF THE MILNERTON LAGOON IN THE DIEP RIVER ESTUARY, CAPE TOWN

Environmental Authorisation

The Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP) on 15 May 2026 granted Environmental Authorisation (EA) to the City of Cape Town for the proposed dredging of the Milnerton Lagoon, in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998) and the 2014 Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations (as amended). The environmental authorisation can be downloaded from the link below: 

  pdf 2026 05 15 To CoCT Dredging MilnertonLagoon DiepRiverEstuary 3048 25 EA(818 KB)

Eight appeals were lodged against this decision in compliance with the National Appeal Regulations, 2025 (Government Notice No. R. 5985 in Government Gazette No. 52269 of 13 March 2025).

Appeal Decision

The Western Cape MEC of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, has dismissed the eight appeals that were lodged against the EA that was issued on 15 May 2026 for the proposed dredging of the Milnerton Lagoon.

The MEC upheld the decision of the competent authority to grant the environmental authorisation for the proposed dredging, and varied the decision by adding a number of conditions which must be met by the applicant (the City of Cape Town). The applicant intends to meet the additional requirements stipulated in the Appeal Decision, and registered interested and affected parties will have an opportunity to comment on the amended Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) in due course before it is submitted to the Delegated Competent Authority.

Date of decision:

The Appeal Decision is dated 19 October 2026.

Reasons for the decision:

The MEC's reasons for dismissing the Appeals and varying the EA are outlined in Section 5 (pages 3-23) of the Appeal Decision available below:

  folder 2026-10 Appeal Decision for the Milnerton Lagoon Dredging EIA

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