What’s the point of community consultation?

 In 2017 Lake Macquarie City Council won both Australasia Organisation of the Year and the International Organisation of the Year from the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2). This group seeks to promote and improve the practice of community and stakeholder engagement that affects the public interest throughout the world. 

So it’s quite a feather in Council’s cap and the award is proudly displayed in the LMCC foyer. The Shape Lake Mac online systems with maps and feedback options and surveys look wonderful and gather lots of comments.

How all this information is interpreted and valued is a completely different matter.

What is important at this point is that there is a vehicle for community comments to be made and our community needs to take advantage of the offer.

Council is once again asking for feedback from the community and this time it’s on the Draft Lake Mac Operational Plan 2019-20 and Revised Delivery Program 2017-2021 -Let’s Make it Happen

The plan contains strategies, details of planned projects and projected budgets. The community are encouraged to take a look and respond.

Within this plan there has been $25million set aside for the Bath Street site, it wasn’t in last year’s plan.

It appears Council has already decided it’s going to build something quite big on the public foreshore land next to the Royal Motor Yacht Club.

A summary of the Bath Street Budget Bonanza is on the TFPG May Update.

Please consider taking a few minutes to write a letter to Council about their $25million budget item