Page 2379 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 5 August 2015
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On 20 June this year the draft environmental impact statement for capital metro was released, and this marks another important milestone in the planning and delivery of the project. This provided a further opportunity for people in Canberra to engage. For members who may not fully understand, an EIS is an analysis of the maximum potential impact of a proposed activity on the environment, both natural and physical. It describes all the possible impacts and identifies ways to avoid or minimise them. The draft EIS for capital metro stage 1 is a comprehensive document that covers a broad range of issues—everything from biodiversity, landscaping and greenhouse gas emissions to the design of substations, traffic management and control measures for noise and vibration levels.
Development of the draft EIS has helped us to explore all potential impacts before the project starts to make sure we can prevent or minimise them through a range of effective mitigation measures. The draft EIS also identifies benefits and opportunities that will be delivered as a result of the project. The benefit of releasing the draft EIS for capital metro—I emphasise the word “draft”—is that it provides the community with information on the potential impacts of constructing and operating the light rail and allows them to give their feedback. Consultation on the draft has taken our conversation with the community to the next level. In particular, it has enabled discussions with key stakeholders about what could be expected during construction and operation of the light rail service and what mitigation measures are needed to minimise these impacts, ensuring a better outcome for all involved. It has also given the community an opportunity to identify the issues that most concern them.
As members may be aware, the draft EIS is 1,800 pages long. To help encourage and facilitate discussion and help make technical content more easily understood, the Capital Metro Agency has hosted a number of drop-in information sessions in Gungahlin and Dickson for interested people to gather information and talk to the project team. The CMA has also hosted two Facebook fora dedicated to receiving and answering questions from the community about the draft EIS. The drop-in information sessions and Facebook fora were conducted to support the legislative requirement of publicly notifying the EIS on the government’s planning website. The online fora, in particular, have proved to be a highly successful way of engaging with the community, and they will be used again.
Capital metro is a significant project for Canberra, and in recognition of this, it is necessary to ensure the community is fully informed of how it is progressing. Following four weeks of consultation, the government received 59 submissions to the draft EIS from individuals, local businesses and community organisations. All of this feedback will be used to inform the ongoing planning for capital metro stage 1 as well as ensuring that the final EIS is a comprehensive document that thoroughly considers potential issues and mitigation measures for the project.
Some of the key issues raised during consultation include construction impacts such as noise; vibration and dust; traffic management; relocation of utilities; landscaping, including the potential conflict between trees and overhead wires; integration of light rail with other modes of transport; and access requirements to businesses and properties.
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