Bill 13 2023 - Declassification as Domaine Public (Providence Lagoon) Bill 2023

[11th S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 3 ] Declassi f ication as Domaine Public (Providence Lagoon) 1 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES SUPPLEMENT TO OFFICIAL GAZETTE BILL DECLASSIFICATION AS DOMAINE PUBLIC (PROVIDENCE LAGOON) BILL, 2023 (Bill No. 13 of 2023) EXPLANATORY STATEMENT OF OBJECTS OF AND REASONS FOR THE BILL The object of this Bill is to make provision for the declassification of a specified area of water and sea bed that forms part of the domaine public at Providence, Mahe, Seychelles (the “Specified Area”), in order for that area to cease to be part of the domaine public. The Specified Area will be used for the development of a 5 Megawatt floating photo voltaic plant on the marine environment, not only to contribute to the country's transition to greener energy sector but also to address the country's limited available land areas for such projects. The Bill seeks to declare the Specified Area as a protected area, on the basis that it is in the public interest that special precautions should be taken to prevent unauthorised persons from entering the area without the permission of the prescribed authority. This is to ensure that the Specified Area, together with any equipment and assets located therein, is protected. The Bill in addition makes provision for the entering into by the Minister of an agreement to grant exclusive rights of use over the specified area to such an entity as the Minister may determine. Finally, the Bill permits the Minister to make Regulations for giving further effect to the provisions of the Bill. Dated this 31st day of August, 2023. FLAVIEN JOUBERT MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT ——————— [11th S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 3 ] Declassi f ication as Domaine Public (Providence Lagoon) 2 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES SUPPLEMENT TO OFFICIAL GAZETTE BILL DECLASSIFICATION AS DOMAINE PUBLIC (PROVIDENCE LAGOON) BILL, 2023 (Bill No. 13 of 2023) ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Sections 1. Short title and commencement 2. Interpretation 3. Purpose of the Act 4. Declassification of the specified area as domaine public 5. Declaration of the specified area as a protected area 6. Exclusive rights agreement 7. Offences and penalties 8. Regulations SCHEDULES [11th S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 3 ] Declassi f ication as Domaine Public (Providence Lagoon) 3 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES SUPPLEMENT TO OFFICIAL GAZETTE BILL DECLASSIFICATION AS DOMAINE PUBLIC (PROVIDENCE LAGOON) BILL, 2023 (Bill No. 13 of 2023) A BILL FOR AN ACT TO DECLASSIFY AN AREA THAT IS CURRENTLY DOMAINE PUBLIC, TO DECLARE THE DECLASSIFIED AREA AS A PROTECTED AREA, TO ALLOW THE MINISTER TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENTS WITH PERSONS OR ENTITIES, OR PUBLIC BODIES, TO ALLOW THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT OF USE OF THE DECLASSIFIED AREA, AND TO PROVIDE FOR OTHER RELATED MATTERS. ENACTED by the President and the National Assembly. Short title and commencement 1. This Act may be cited as the Declassification of Domaine Public (Providence Lagoon) Act, 2023 and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notice published in the Gazette appoint. [11th S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 3 ] Declassi f ication as Domaine Public (Providence Lagoon) 4 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES SUPPLEMENT TO OFFICIAL GAZETTE BILL Interpretation 2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires — “Minister” means the Minister responsible for the environment; “protected area” means an area in respect of which it is necessary or expedient in the public interest to put in place special restrictions to prevent the entry of unauthorised persons; and “specified area” means the area of the water and the seabed delineated by the coordinates set out in the First Schedule, and specified in the Second Schedule. Purpose of the Act 3. The purpose of this Act is — (a) to declassify the specified area as domaine public; (b) to declare the specified area as a protected area; and (c) to make provision for the entering into by the Minister of an exclusive rights agreement in relation to the specified area. Declassification of the specified area as domaine public 4. The specified area shall cease to be part of the domaine public. Declaration of the specified area as a protected area 5.(1) The specified area shall be a protected area and accordingly sections 5 to 9 of the Protected Areas Act (Cap 185) shall, with any necessary modifications, apply to the specified area. (2) Save for those persons authorised in writing by the Minister, no person shall be permitted to enter the specified area without the permission of the Minister, or of the prescribed authority. [11th S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 3 ] Declassi f ication as Domaine Public (Providence Lagoon) 5 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES SUPPLEMENT TO OFFICIAL GAZETTE BILL (3) Any person who is granted permission to be in the specified area pursuant to subsection (2) shall, while acting under such permission, comply with such directions for regulating his or her conduct as may be given by the Minister or specified in any exclusive rights agreement entered into pursuant to section 6. (4) Where a person is granted permission to be in the specified area by the prescribed authority, that person shall, while acting under such permission, comply with such directions for regulating his or her conduct as may be given by the prescribed authority. (5) For the purposes of this section, “prescribed authority” under this Act means the Minister or the person, entity or public body that is in possession, custody and control of the specified area under the exclusive rights agreement. Exclusive rights agreement 6.(1) The Minister may enter into an exclusive rights agreement in relation to the specified area. (2) The exclusive rights agreement concluded under subsection (1) shall provide exclusive rights of use in favour of any person, entity or public body over the specified area for the period of time specified in the agreement and in respect of any of the activities specified in the agreement. Offences and penalties 7.(1) A person who is in the specified area without permission contrary to the provisions of section 5 of this Act or who fails to comply with any direction given to him or her under section 4 of the Protected Areas Act or refuses to allow himself or herself to be searched under section 5 of the Protected Areas Act commits an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine of level 2 on the standard scale or to imprisonment not exceeding two years or both. (2) Any person who wilfully and unlawfully removes, destroys, damages, alters or defaces a warning notice erected at or near the site of the [11th S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 3 ] Declassi f ication as Domaine Public (Providence Lagoon) 6 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES SUPPLEMENT TO OFFICIAL GAZETTE BILL specified area commits an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine of level 1 on the standard scale or to imprisonment not exceeding one year or both. (3) Any person who fails to comply with any of the requirements of a notice issued to him or her under section 9 of the Protected Areas Act commits an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine of level 1 on the standard scale or to imprisonment not exceeding six months or both. (4) An offence under this Act shall be a cognizable offence within the meaning and for the purposes of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cap. 54) Regulations 8. The Minister may make regulations — (a) to prescribe all matters which are required by this Act to be prescribed, or which are necessary or expedient to be prescribed for giving effect to this Act; and (b) to amend the Schedules. [11th S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 3 ] Declassi f ication as Domaine Public (Providence Lagoon) 7 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES SUPPLEMENT TO OFFICIAL GAZETTE BILL SCHEDULES FIRST SCHEDULE (Section 2) Specified area The specified area is the area of water and seabed with the following coordinates Geographic Coordinate System: World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) Datum: WGS 84 All Coordinates in Decimal Degrees GCS_WGS_1984 POINT LONGITUDE LATITUDE D_ Prime 1 55.48257856780 -4.65141573755 Meridian: Greenwich Angular 2 55.48220947980 -4.65121246109 Unit: Degree 3 55.48217937950 -4.65119507449 4 55.48219736860 -4.65098667010 5 55.48230807160 -4.65076924730 6 55.48277273960 -4.65100934740 7 55.48281029890 -4.65093118912 8 55.48258891630 -4.65079820727 9 55.48236171790 -4.65066905833 10 55.48211334410 -4.65141308185 11 55.48012756630 -4.65203096736 12 55.48061991280 -4.65306181795 13 55.48066209190 -4.65317444365 14 55.48079770600 -4.65332117523 15 55.48085089830 -4.65346808668 16 55.48093188130 -4.65356935664 17 55.48104195020 -4.65361876539 18 55.48106324800 -4.65369561966 19 55.48103240480 -4.65373288037 20 55.48101737000 -4.65385840954 21 55.48104543240 -4.65389436174 [11th S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 3 ] Declassi f ication as Domaine Public (Providence Lagoon) 8 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES SUPPLEMENT TO OFFICIAL GAZETTE BILL 22 55.48104195470 -4.65395943758 23 55.48098788840 -4.65403923982 24 55.48095699130 -4.65406494964 25 55.48090276040 -4.65414720973 26 55.48092890270 -4.65418937894 27 55.48089107100 -4.65426060165 28 55.48085818370 -4.65429617883 29 55.48071243320 -4.65438176910 30 55.48081564840 -4.65444501662 31 55.48091223200 -4.65495466243 32 55.48113133830 -4.65517046015 33 55.48135531720 -4.65530665528 34 55.48159112390 -4.65556914760 35 55.48150899510 -4.65569652667 36 55.48159028580 -4.65587460863 37 55.48188947850 -4.65601994267 38 55.48210125450 -4.65601465735 39 55.48262411850 -4.65639910943 40 55.48278404220 -4.65638935628 41 55.48300015650 -4.65653963659 42 55.48319613680 -4.65669619777 43 55.48341143360 -4.65646108351 44 55.48365820310 -4.65623284097 45 55.48379652870 -4.65612471908 46 55.48394062440 -4.65605672044 47 55.48412019110 -4.65600993141 48 55.48410081340 -4.65595622660 49 55.48419641490 -4.65592245526 50 55.48422929050 -4.65601397566 51 55.48435127550 -4.65602077724 52 55.48477879880 -4.65596372425 53 55.48502939670 -4.65581085029 54 55.48526189840 -4.65558019667 55 55.48532479610 -4.65556911522 56 55.48545201690 -4.65559231863 [11th S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 3 ] Declassi f ication as Domaine Public (Providence Lagoon) 9 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES SUPPLEMENT TO OFFICIAL GAZETTE BILL 57 55.48549499820 -4.65561741691 58 55.48580490280 -4.65563395364 59 55.48590417980 -4.65557401473 60 55.48562712930 -4.65516883148 61 55.48463098620 -4.65425827600 62 55.48375064260 -4.65377105389 63 55.48273209650 -4.65312160668 64 55.48232578100 -4.65202726665 65 55.48226615420 -4.65266303517 66 55.48233331910 -4.65327106501 67 55.48240427020 -4.65359411588 68 55.48253113400 -4.65388452495 69 55.48277758060 -4.65408231645 70 55.48520745620 -4.65546337743 71 55.48268078120 -4.65425963038 72 55.48237949570 -4.65399784762 73 55.48222268180 -4.65367315819 74 55.48212492550 -4.65329073408 75 55.48192469060 -4.65225157015 76 55.48118161490 -4.65243121963 77 55.48127642600 -4.65347314627 78 55.48139848290 -4.65391172225 79 55.48143933100 -4.65401193280 80 55.48141660960 -4.65409769395 81 55.48148676390 -4.65453392270 82 55.48163532740 -4.65506264493 83 55.48230752930 -4.65567342309 84 55.48301195740 -4.65598588174 85 55.48363570380 -4.65590649769 86 55.48407619000 -4.65577287192 87 55.48489456220 -4.65560524818 88 55.48597237990 -4.65609640842 89 55.48617687950 -4.65618375598 90 55.48617673830 -4.65633606246 91 55.48612655160 -4.65638620326 [11th S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 3 ] Declassi f ication as Domaine Public (Providence Lagoon) 10 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES SUPPLEMENT TO OFFICIAL GAZETTE BILL SECOND SCHEDULE (Section 2)