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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 5 Hansard (9 May) . . Page.. 1495 ..

The full brief can be made available for perusal if necessary.

5. Water quality is an environmental and ecological issue. Issues relating to water quality were therefore included in items in the brief such as "the enhancement of the lake and its foreshore", "ecological sustainability", and "cost effective and efficient urban management". Storm water issues relating to drainage into the Lake were specifically mentioned in the brief. In addition, reference was made in the brief to the Belconnen Master Plan and the Belconnen Lakeshore Master Plan. Both these plans make reference to environmental and ecological issues, as well as water quality.

During the public consultation, many issues relating to water quality were raised, such as water quality, appearance, health issues, rubbish in the lake, pollution, and offensive odours. In addition, plans were being developed by Roads ACT to provide improvements upstream of the entrances of the storm water pipes into the lake in a bid to improve the water quality of water reaching the lake. The design team considered it prudent to include these issues in the evaluation as they would have a significant effect on any proposals coming forward, and were related to the objectives of the study. Were they not included, some of the improvements implemented as a result of the landscape refurbishment may well have required significant and possibly expensive alteration when the issue of treating the quality of water entering the lake is addressed.

6. Numerous people were consulted including:

� approximately 205 individuals consulted in the Belconnen community through focus groups or interviews;

� Total number of agencies consulted in writing about the design concepts - 36.

� Total number of Belconnen Community Consultations - 4 (with approximately 20 people at each).

� Total number of ACT Government Stakeholder Consultations - 4 (with approximately 15 people at each)

� Total number of letters sent our reminding people of design concepts -approximately 250 letters on 2 occasions giving a total of 500.

� Letters about meetings sent to traders in the Belconnen Area -approximately 200

� LAPAC - two meetings with Ginnindera LAPAC

� Belconnen Cultural Committee (subcommittee of Belconnen Community Council) two meetings plus submissions on Art and Design

� Individual interviews with business people upon request in addition to other forms of group consultation - two

I am advised it is possible that at least that number again would have been spoken to in the Belconnen Mall during face to face interviews, seen items in the paper or on television, read about it in the paper, heard about it on the radio, or been present at public meetings attended by the team, but not run by them (eg LAPAC meetings).

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