Central ward councillor Samantha McIntosh has launched a last-ditch effort to stop the Lake Wendouree link lighting project from going ahead, announcing she will put forward a rescission motion at Wednesday night's council meeting.
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The project was believed to have seen a council chamber for the last time at last month's meeting when councillors voted six to three to award the $2.2 million contract to Bendigo-based De Araugo and Lea Electrical Contractors to construct the lights.
The project will see 225 five-metre-tall light poles installed around the six-kilometre Steve Moneghetti Track, and another seven along Morrison Street, allowing walkers, runners and all lake users to utilise the iconic location earlier in the morning and later in the evening.
READ MORE:
- Feb 2022: Ballarat councillors award tender for Lake Wendouree lighting project
- Feb 2022: Legendary naturalist David Attenborough 'understands concerns' over lake lighting
- Feb 2022: Lake Wendouree lights: war of words erupts between Bev McArthur and City of Ballarat Council
- Feb 2022: Lake Wendouree lighting project: Tender to be awarded to Bendigo company
- Nov 2021: Lake Wendouree lighting project goes out to tender
- Oct 2021: Ballarat councillors to decide on future of Lake Wendouree lights
- Sep 2021: Lake Wendouree lighting gets heritage approval
- Dec 2020: New temporary light towers installed at Lake Wendouree
- Jul 2018: Opposition Leader Matthew Guy runs toward lights at Lake Wendouree
- Oct 2018: Running with excitement at the prospect of lake lighting at last
Lighting up the track was first identified as a council priority in the Lake Wendouree Master Plan that was endorsed by council in 2015 with consultation as part of the master plan showing mass support for the project.
The consultation showed 81.7 per cent of 1800 respondents were in favour of installing lights around Lake Wendouree.
The project then received further bipartisan support during the 2018 state election campaign with both Labor and the Liberal-National coalition committing to funding the lakeside lighting.
Following the commitments, and subsequent state government funding of the project, trial lights were installed along a short section of the track in 2018.
The project then received a heritage permit from Heritage Victoria in September 2021 before being granted a planning permit by Ballarat councillors following a five to three vote.
While Cr McIntosh remains a staunch opponent to the installation of the light poles, she has said she supports lighting the lake but from a ground level source.
However, council officers have said a bollard lighting system would require three times as many lights, cost significantly more than the light poles and would be prone to vandalism while in-ground lights would not meet Australian standards.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Council awarded the tender at last month's meeting following a mammoth 90-minute debate and a number of questions and submissions from the public.
Objectors also protested at Lake Wendouree, requested an interim protection order from the Heritage Council of Victoria and even enlisted David Attenborough in their fight in the lead-up to last month's tender decision.
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