Lake Wendouree lighting saga ends, for now

Yet, as fanciful as it now seems, there was once a time when it was little more than a shell of an idea, and a popular one at that, detailed in another of council's innumerable masterplans for the city.

And so it might have remained, but for the dawn of the November 2018 state election, where it was elevated into something far more tangible: a bipartisan election commitment, attracting weighty funding promises from both major parties.

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From that point on, there seemed to be little standing in the way of the now contentious lighting project at Lake Wendouree, with questions of funds, council backing and community support all seemingly neutralised.

But in a nod to the old adage nothing is certain in politics, what was a sure-fire thing almost imperceptibly devolved into an unending and, at times, unedifying row over lack of community consultation, unaddressed environmental concerns, as well as impassioned accusations of improper conduct by council - all gamely countered with charges of defamation, not to mention a (wholly unscientific) poll conducted by this masthead unveiling the project's creeping unpopularity.

Indeed, so heated was community opposition to the project that it even drew the ire of famous conservationist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, who penned his sympathies in a hand-written note after receiving a letter from one of the project's most vehement opponents.

Unmoved by this opposition, however, councillors voted six to three in favour of awarding the $2.2 million tender for the project to Bendigo-based company De Araugo and Lea Electrical in February of this year.

That, to all appearances, sounded the death knell of the controversy. Yet unknown to all but few, a last-ditch effort to defeat the project in the form of an application to the Heritage Council of Victoria was afoot, with an interim protection order issued over the lake foreshore in the result.

This week, it emerged the ensuing air of commercial uncertainty occasioned by that audacious gambit - which shifted planning authority from council to Heritage Victoria, at least temporarily - ultimately deferred the signing of the contract with De Araugo.

And, four months on, with heritage planning approval granted, the saga presented yet another twist, with De Araugo informing council that the force of economy-wide inflation had caused its costs to climb in the order of $308,700.

Against the backdrop of rising interest rates and general cost-of-living pressures, the tenor of the community's response to an officer's recommendation to approve the revised tendered price of $2,510,700 was predictably irate.

"Please don't let this become another council failure," said one submission at Wednesday's ordinary council meeting. It was sentiment echoed in several others, which all reiterated the "detrimental impact" of the project would visit on local wildlife and fauna.

New concerns around transparency were also aired, focusing on the, until now, undisclosed financial impact of maintaining all 225 light poles, which council officers revealed would cost ratepayers between $30,000 and $50,000 annually - assuming, of course, the project is ever completed.

Notwithstanding over 90 minutes of presentations and debate, however, the motion passed six votes to three, with only councillors Mark Harris, Samantha McIntosh and Amy Johnson voting against the officer's recommendation.

"We've had clear and consistent feedback from so many in our community that this isn't the right design for our city, and yet we haven't taken a backward step," said Cr Johnson. "I wonder if the consultation processes we use get the best results for our community."

"It makes me really sad that a project that once had lots of community support now has thousands against it."

It was a view echoed by Cr McIntosh, who said one of the "big learnings" the project had brought into sharp relief was the need for council to properly listen to and consult with the community, whom she emphasised weren't opposed to the lighting project per se, merely its current form.

Other councillors noted their discomfort with the cost increase in the contract, but were of the view any move to modify the existing agreement with De Araugo would be time-consuming and costly.

"I'll reluctantly vote for the motion," said Cr Belinda Coates. "I don't think it's right we give the community false hope we can easily undo the decisions that have been made, but there are lessons [from this] we can learn."

It was a view backed, at least so far the contract was concerned, by City of Ballarat chief executive Evan King, who expressly cast doubt on the ability of council to extract itself from the De Araugo agreement without inordinate expense.

One element which received no attention at Wednesday's meeting, however, was the ongoing cost implications attached to the likely heritage listing of the lake.

With the officer's report pricing the lake lighting project's most recent heritage permit application at over $30,000 alone, it seems altogether unlikely that it is only council's amour-propre which has been wounded in this long, and arguably avoidable, sorry saga.

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