Michele Grant, Ocean Shores
Reflections Holiday Park’s CEO Steve Edmonds doesn’t explain why ‘the re-issuing of a standard license to operate’ was not approved by BSC.
Three successive Councils have provided specific details of the location of operational boundaries for Terrace Holiday Park that exclude the southern area of Terrace Reserve (along the one-way strip between Nana & Short St.) Reflections claim the land belongs to the caravan park and they continue to occupy the site under ‘existing use’ provisions dredged from Ordinance 71 (1986).
We argue the boundary is the existing, legal southern boundary line of Terrace Holiday Park.
Park management has encroached onto adjoining SEPP and road reserve land, never included within the caravan park.
The land is around 1200 sqm, it’s just 30m from the riverbank to the park entrance at Nana St.
The SEPP 14 Coastal Wetlands includes mangroves and a community of endangered Coastal Cypress Pine trees.
It’s an offence under the Heritage Act to damage or chop down these trees. The river access leads to Midden Beach, the whole area has been long occupied by the Bundjalung people.
It’s also known as Memorial Park, with many pine trees planted in honour of WW1 veterans.
Since 2000 Crown Lands Trustees have changed the ‘traditional use’ of occasional primitive camping during Xmas and Easter on ‘overflow’ sites, to 24/7 high impact occupation.
Traditionally the area was a public park for 10 months of the year. Reflections managed to squeeze up to 50 sites, more during peak season and festivals, by avoiding setbacks and minimum site requirements, relying on those Ordinance 71 exemptions.
They won’t stop until every tree is dead.
Council has valiantly tried to stop them, using LGA licensing provisions.
It’s been a stalemate for eight years, so now the court will decide.
It’s not simply about renewing a licence, Steve. The occupation of the southern part of Terrace Reserve needs to be formally legalised, or will the recalcitrant operators get evicted?
Michelle,
Should not the Caravan Park as well as Byron Council lose on this one?
The DA has caravan park boundaries and the development is to be kept within those boundaries.
Council is elected by the public and is made up of members of the public. Council has a charter to act for the public and gain rates from the public for operation. They are lawfully to act for the public and keep the boundary hard and fast outside the caravan park for an open park as open space is important for public use. Open space is for public sanctuary and managed by Council to be kept as open space. One of the great costs of Council is Parks and Gardens maintenance.