Around 100 residents attended a site meeting scheduled for Port Stephens councillors on Monday to protest the proposed transformation of parkland adjacent to Halifax Holiday Park into camping grounds.
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The residents are concerned about proposed plans to develop the green corridor, located adjacent to the Shoal Bay holiday park and home to a local koala population, into an additional camping area.
The park is owned by the state and managed by the council.
A council spokesperson told the Examiner that to increase the financial viability of Halifax Holiday Park, and for additional affordable accommodation to be available to the public, the state government had identified land known as Lot 424 be included into the park as a camping area.
“In 2013, the state government declared Lot 424 legally part of Halifax Holiday Park and the purpose changed from ‘Public Recreation’ to ‘Caravan and Camping Park’,” the spokesperson said.
“As the land is owned by the state government, council does not have the authority to declare the allotment as a public park.”
The spokesperson said that later this year the council would be commencing new plans of management for Halifax Holiday Park and would be conducting extensive community consultation to ensure all residents are aware of the process and are given ample opportunity to comment.
“The incorporation of Lot 424 into Halifax Holiday Park will not restrict access to the beach, with the road reserve remaining unchanged,” the spokesperson said.
Council’s corporate services manager Carmel Foster, who attended Monday’s meeting alongside councillors John Nell and Sarah Smith, addressed residents about the legal process for the future use of the land.
Shoal Bay resident Rick O’Shea said that the plans were strongly opposed by the community some nine years ago, and the proposal was rejected by the majority of the then councillors.
“Many residents object to any plan to add further luxury holiday accommodation, when nearby there are many empty holiday units,” he said.
“This council has just recently installed fencing along the dividing border between the caravan park and Lot 424, as well as planting many koala friendly trees.
“How can anyone justify spending more money developing the site to accommodate a few campers, for perhaps only six-eight weeks of the year?
“Open spaces and public recreation areas are very limited in this area, the park provides a welcome shaded, and comfortable refuse between the Shoal Bay beachfront, and the very small area of Little Beach, which gets very crowded even on weekends.”
