May 12, 1999
Questions relating to the International
Water Sports Complex
1) Will the council withdraw the
item relating to the International Water Sports Complex
from tonight’s agenda due to the absence of Cr Rob
Binnie, the high level of community opposition to
the proposal and the perception that it is being pushed
forward as part of a pre-election spending spree.
2) We note that there has been a
least one meeting in the last week with one group
who oppose the Water Sports Complex. Will the council
consider extending this privilege and meeting with
all of the key players in this debate including
representatives from the Geelong Field Naturalists,
the Geelong Environment Council, the Barwon Valley
Golf Course, the Friends of Belmont Common, the Geelong
Community Forum, the Old Historic Records Association,
the Victorian Rowing Association and other interested
groups including proponents of the course, in order
to receive a complete briefing from the perspective
of each organisation? Will the council follow such
a briefing session with a public meeting about the
proposed complex?
3) Is the Council aware that the
proposal for such a Water Sports Complex undermines
its recently released Open Space and Environment Management
Strategies?
4) If the Council decides to go ahead
with the Water Sports Complex will it ensure that
legally mandated procedures of Environmental and Social
Impact Assessment are undertaken by an independent
consultant? If these reports prove negative to the
Council’s case, will the council drop the proposal?
5) Will the Council undertake a formal
Cost-Benefit Analysis of the proposal, which fully
costs out 2nd and 3rd order flow-on effects against
the lost opportunity costs of the land as it is currently
being used, or could be used in the future? If a CBA
is undertaken, will the Council include realistic
estimates of spectator numbers, the costs of car-parking,
fixed structures, ongoing maintenance costs, the loss
of the proposed bridge from Fellows Road and the cost
of re-routing around the complex?
6) If cost-estimates exceed the original
proposal of around $10 million dollars, will the Council
drop the proposal? Will the Council then consider
putting a permanent moratorium upon the construction
of any future proposals which would remove large portions
of public open space from the Belmont Common.
Serena O’Meley
Geelong Community Forum
