All long-term holiday van owners at Ferry Reserve, Massey Greene and Terrace Reserve Holiday Parks have been given Notice of Termination, with 90 days to vacate.
All vans are required to be towed away or demolished on site with vacant possession required by 2nd September 2015.
The recently approved NSW Crown Holiday Parks Trust Management Plans by the Minister for Natural Resources, Lands and Water, Kevin Humphries, clearly recognizes the following;
- The Byron Shire Tourism Management Plan 2008 to 2018 and
- The ‘Taking Care of Brunswick’ Tourism Management Strategy.
These Plans recognize the significance of the tourism industry to the Brunswick Heads economy and the need to balance the impact of such activities with other commercial, social and environmental objectives.
Unfortunately with most government initiatives the Management Plans are ambiguous. They state whenever a holiday van site is vacated or relinquished in the future, that site will be made available for tourist use.
It appears these Plans deem Long Term Holiday Van owners and their families as not valuable repeat holiday visitors and are not included in future tourism and management plans for the area.
The 3 Caravan Parks in Brunswick Heads will simultaneously lose 33 long term repeat holiday van guests and their families. These tourists have continually holidayed in and around the Brunswick area for up to 35 years and their loss within the community will have a devastating impact.
The Taking Care of Brunswick Tourism Strategy “Simple Pleasures” would appear to have been ignored by the NSW Crown Holiday Parks Trust’s Regional Office located in Coffs Harbour NSW when implementing these plans.
We have attempted to contact Steve Edmonds, the CEO of NSW Crown Holiday Parks Trust, at his office in Newcastle for comment. However at this stage there has been no reply.
The New South Wales Crown Holiday Park Trust manages the operations of 26 NSW Coastal Holiday Parks, ranging from Eden in the south to Brunswick Heads in the north.
Plus nine inland holiday parks and reserves located on Crown Land throughout NSW.
We sincerely hope the actions taken by the NSW Crown Holiday Park Trust in this instance are not repeated at all the tourism areas under their control.
Farewell “Simple Pleasures!”
Col & Carmel McAndrew, Massey Greene Holiday Park, Brunswick Heads
