Caravan Park committee of management change confirmed

AS ANTICIPATED, committee of management responsibilities for the Waratah Bay Caravan Park and foreshore area will shift from South Gippsland Shire Council to the Sandy Point Foreshore Committee, with council formerly requesting the State Government to commit to the development of a comprehensive transition plan.

While the councillors present at the July council meeting voted unanimously to support the move, Cr Sarah Gilligan expressed concerns, stressing that community consultation must guide the transition process and planning.

She also raised the issue of inconsistency in the State Government’s classification of the intended new committee of management for Waratah Bay Caravan Park and foreshore compared to other coastal committees of management.

“A lot of voluntary committees of management along the coast of Victoria are being integrated into Category 1 committees of management, which are properly resourced and professionally staffed, working with volunteers,” Cr Gilligan said, questioning why it is different for the South Gippsland coastline.

“I want to know that in that transition plan all of the future risks, succession planning, all of these things for the long term are included and thought about, because at the moment I’m not feeling confident,” she said.

Cr Gilligan expressed general support for the transfer of management of the land concerned, something that has been approved by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), adding her observation regarding consultation.

“Whilst I support handing Crown Land back to DEECA, I would like to note that in this comprehensive transition plan that we want, something that I haven’t read a lot of is about community engagement, and that needs to be part of whatever this plan is,” she said.

DEECA has advised council it will commence a tender process to lease the Waratah Bay Caravan Park for 21 years.

The intention is to put the current lessee into an over-holding period while that process occurs to avoid disrupting the peak summer holiday period, with that arrangement to last until April 24 and council to remain as the committee of management until the new caravan park lease commences.

“It is understood that the local committee intends to lease the caravan park to a professional entity, and then use the resources from the rental income to improve the caravan park and foreshore,” council states, adding that the new committee of management would also be eligible to obtain funding directly from DEECA.