Byron shire councillors have been urged to reverse a decision by their predecessors which controversially endorsed management plans for crown holiday parks at Brunswick Heads.
The town’s foreshore-protection campaigners say a decision by previous councillors, during caretaker mode before last month’s council election, gave in principle support to what they described as a ‘windfall to the state-appointed trust but a ‘loss to the community’. (See previous story at https://www.echo.net.au/2016/09/bruns-park-plans-windfall-trust-loss-community/)
They fear adjoining public land will be opened up to commercial activity, while locals are closed out of foreshore parks during busy holiday periods.
A community information session on the latest plans will be held in town’s housie shed tomorrow (Saturday) from 10am-1pm, while Byron Shire Council has been called on to rescind its previous decision.
It’s aimed at better informing locals on the contentious plans and what they mean, and also pre-empts a scheduled community walk and consultation with residents in the parks by the NSW Crown Holiday Parks Trust (NSWCHPT) on 8 November.
In its submission to council recently, the Foreshore Protection Group (backed by many of the town’s residents) says the August decision was in conflict with council’s resolutions on operational boundaries and setbacks, including the vital 10-metre setback from the foreshore to all built structures in the three caravan parks (Ferry Reserve, Massey-Greene and The Terrace).
It also says council accepted the trust’s maps ‘without a clearly defined foreshore boundary’, and omitted licensing restrictions to Christmas and school holiday use by the parks of the southern section of the Terrace caravan park (a public reserve).
The plans are also ‘unclear’ on whether the public walkway there is outside the park boundary.
The submission asks why the endorsement resolution was ’rushed through’ on 25 August, just before the elections.
It also asks why council kept the minutes of meetings and the briefing paper confidential, and why council negotiations on the use of public lands is ‘not open to public scrutiny?’
Michele Grant, convenor of the group, said in the submission that the recent NSW Auditor General’s ‘scathing report into the sale and leasing of Crown Land exposes a “culture of avoiding public scrutiny” according to shadow lands minister, Mick Veitch’.
Ms Grant said ’the overwhelming conclusion is that more often than not the community is being excluded from the sale and leasing process and unable to contribute to, or question, decisions made by the department, or council!.’
She said the report ‘recommends the government improves transparency of decisions and clarifies the criteria used to justify the closed direct negotiations of leases and sales’.
The group has invited councillors before their next meeting to‘meet community representatives for a walk around the parks to ‘ground truth’ the trust’s plans and ‘see the issues for themselves’.
In its submission Ms Grants says park management ‘remains reluctant to acknowledge park encroachments yet these additional lands were not “acquired” by Crown Lands until 2012 and relied on compulsory acquisition orders approved by the minister after council refused to support the land transfers in 2009/10’.
‘It is very disappointing that council’s resolution in August 2016 now rewards and endorses Crown Lands appalling behaviour and inappropriate redevelopment proposals with the handover of disputed lands to CHPT for inclusion within the holiday parks – particularly when there is every likelihood the holiday parks will be sold or leased to a private operator and the plan provides no apparent benefit to Council or the local community or the public interest.’
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