20 February 2008
SUGARLOAF PIPELINE CONSULTATION CONTINUES
Property owners along the preferred pipeline corridors for the Sugarloaf Pipeline would begin receiving letters today explaining if their properties were within the preferred or non preferred corridors, or no longer part of the investigation corridor, Project Director Rod Clifford said today.
Mr Clifford said the announcement of the preferred corridors yesterday reduced potentially affected properties by almost half, to around 170.
"Letters were posted yesterday to landowners, following the commencement of the consultation period under the planning process for this project and the announcement of the preferred corridors.
"These letters explain the current status of properties and build on the extensive communications already undertaken with property owners throughout the region as the investigation corridors originally announced have been reduced down to the preferred corridors currently under consideration.
"Since the preliminary design for this project commenced the project team has met with potentially affected landowners on literally hundreds of occasions at private homes, community meetings and at the 16 information sessions conducted since July last year throughout the region.
"Every landowner and tenant within the original investigation corridor that we thought might be impacted by the project has been contacted, and information packs and bulletins have been distributed throughout the region, including approximately 170 properties now within the preferred corridors."
Mr Clifford said in recent weeks the project design team had visited approximately two dozen individual property owners likely to be impacted to discuss with them the specific pipeline route through their property, and this would continue with the remaining 170 property owners over the coming weeks, to ensure the best possible outcome for both the landowner and the project.
"The feedback and information we’ve got from our discussions has helped guide important decisions regarding the corridors, in addition to the 35,000 hours of specialist studies also completed.
"For example, community feedback was instrumental in the early decisions to rule places like Limestone and Frog Ponds roads in Yea out as potential alignment options, and guided decisions on the elimination of Killingworth Reserve from the preferred corridors as well as Hunts Lane and Steeles Creek Road.
"We will continue to work closely with landowners throughout the region and keep them informed of progress both through direct correspondence, information bulletins and the fortnightly newspaper advertisements in the region."
The Sugarloaf Pipeline is a key plank of the Government’s Our Water Our Future: Next Stage plan.
It will bring up to 75 billion litres of water to Melbourne from 2010, available from the Food Bowl Modernisation Project, which is expected to realise 225 billion litres of water to be divided between the environment, irrigators and Melbourne.
In exchange for the 75 billion litres of water per annum, the Victorian Government is contributing $600 million toward the first stage of the Food Bowl Modernisation Project and Melbourne Water is contributing $300 million. The remaining $100 million will be paid by Goulburn-Murray Water.