The paper describes the processes and investigations involved in preparing an Environment Effects Statement for the Western Ring Road between Laverton North and Tullamarine and defining the land to be reserved in the planning scheme. Emphasis is placed on the processes involved in arriving at an acceptable project rather than on technical information. After summarising the background of the project, the range of potential impacts is described. These are then examined in the context of: (1) the strategic nature of the project, including its relevance to government economic, urban development and road development strategies and its impact on future traffic; (2) the parallel and linked investigation investigation activities: (a) the development, design and refinement of concepts and options, (b) specialist investigations of options: future traffic noise, air quality, biology (flora and fauna), archaeology, landscape, economic development, land use, specialist design, community profile and social impact, and (c) community consultation, including initial and ongoing contact, two way information flow, public displays and local area meetings; (3) the selection of favoured options, taking into account design and performance criteria, the outcome of the specialist investigations and community inputs; and (4) lessons learnt, with emphasis on: (a) the need to be up-to-date on environmental and technical issues, (b) management issues and the future direction of statutory processes, and (c) the level of contact with the community (A).
Abstract