Hundreds have their say on Lake Te Koo Utu draft concept plan
Hundreds of Cambridge residents have had their say on a draft concept plan proposing significant improvements to Lake Te Koo Utu and the surrounding reserve.
Waipā District Council received 222 submissions on the draft concept plan after a two-month consultation period which closed at 5pm on Monday 13 July. Around 195 of those were online submissions and 27 were hardcopy submissions.
Feedback was also received via social media and during face-to-face feedback sessions run during consultation.
Council community services manager, Sally Sheedy, said the results were significant and indicated a very successful campaign.
“We are very happy with the amount of feedback we’ve received. It shows us there are a lot of passionate people in Cambridge who care deeply about the lake and surrounding reserve.
“It is always important to hear from as many people as possible when it comes to these plans because we want to make sure any decisions we make moving forward reflects the desires of the community.”
The draft concept plan proposes a wetland area at the lake’s western end to help remedy water quality issues, a boardwalk across the water with educational signage, restorative planting, a playground and upgraded walkways.
Sheedy said her initial assessment was that, residents had been very supportive of improving the water quality of the lake and enhancing biodiversity within the surrounding reserve.
“We know the poor water quality is something many residents see as a key issue. This is something we have looked at extensively and have made proposals in this plan which will help to tackle this issue.”
Council staff will now collate the feedback before presenting it to the Cambridge Community Board in September and to Council’s Strategic Policy and Planning committee in October.
From there, the finalised concept plan will be presented to Council in December for adoption.
If formally adopted, implementation will be considered during the upcoming 2021-2031 Long Term Plan process alongside other Council priorities. The draft concept plan is aspiration, so implementation will be long term.