A report and recommended solution to the ongoing odour problems associated with the Hughes Road Sewerage Pump Station has been removed from the agenda for the Ordinary Meeting of Council scheduled for next Tuesday 13th October.
I was disappointed that at yesterday’s Briefing Meeting Councillors decided to remove agenda item ‘J1 Hughes Road Pump Station Sewer System Upgrade’ so that further discussions could be held regarding the report.
Locals would be aware that the odour problem has been an issue for many, many years and has resulted in nearby residents being physically sick during periods when the odour is at its worst. During these periods children are unable to play in their back yards, families are unable to have a backyard BBQ or friends over for a visit and occupants are required to shut every window in their homes. It’s a totally unacceptable situation and one that requires urgent attention.
The solution was never going to be cheap and, after years of lobbying, the Council allocated funds in its 3 year capital works forecast which would mean that the solution would not be addressed until the 2017/18 financial year.
The recommendation (which would have been considered next Tuesday) suggested that the work could be carried out much sooner and at considerable capital and ‘whole-of-life’ operational savings.
It needs to be said however that there isn’t any funding set aside for this project in the current budget and having it brought forward would mean that some other project(s) within the region would have to be deferred which could (understandably) be seen as unfair by other residents within the region.
As it stands, the officer’s report and recommendation will now be reviewed and it’s my hope that the new information contained within the report, together with the knowledge that this issue is directly impacting on the health and lifestyle of affected residents, will be sufficient to see the works included in the upcoming 2016/17 budget.