Councillors defer decision on holiday park annual licences and master plans

The purpose of the report that was put to councillors is to formalise the strategic direction regarding the development of the Macleay Valley Coast Holiday Parks.

A number of local residents attended the public forum on Monday afternoon in support of two speakers who opposed the recommendation put to councillors.

Andrew Mealing spoke on behalf of the Hat Head Holiday Park annual licence holders and said the community hasn't had enough time to view the document.

"The community has had only several days to gain a limited understanding of these documents and it's clear the economic benefit is a driving factor in this report," he said.

Andrew also spoke of the proposed changes to the Hat Head Holiday Park that have raised concerns with residents.

"The plan identifies up to five new cabins to be installed at the park, however council has imposed restrictions on the residents of Hat Head regarding sewerage output, so why is the holiday park able to increase their sewerage output by allowing a plan for five new cabins," he said.

"We believe that it should be put on public exhibition and we ask councillors not to adopt it without first placing it on exhibition."

Crescent Head resident Joshua Dennis also spoke against the recommendation and said the issue locals have is the design of the whole foreshore area for the village of Crescent Head.

"The Crescent Head Foreshore Masterplan and the caravan park plan is a fragmented design," he said.

"I think that it should have been designed as a whole."

Joshua also highlighted the different plans shown in the recommendation for the Crescent Head Holiday Park.

"The recommendation is for council to adopt the recommended plan for Crescent Head, what I'm asking is for councillors to adopt the alternative plan. This plan does not include the foreshore cabins and allows for more flexibility for the space in the future," he said.

"We're asking for a holistic design for the area along the foreshore."

Documents included in the council meeting agenda stated that a detailed body of work has been undertaken to develop the 10 year concept plans for the Macleay Valley Coast Holiday Parks. The parks are important commercial assets of council, with the returns being reinvested back into Kempsey Shire Council managed Crown Land reserves.

In a procedural motion put forward by councillor Anthony Patterson, the recommendation has been deferred for one month until the April 2021 council meeting.

Locals can view the 10 year concept plans by visiting Kempsey Shire Council's website.

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