Blue Haven Bonaira: report on reclassification released

Kiama Council has released the Public Hearing Report on the reclassification of land at Blue Haven Bonaira. It is available on the Council website, at Kiama and Gerringong Libraries, in the Council’s Admin Centre foyer and at Blue Haven Bonaira reception.

The Report is a statutory requirement, with the purpose of providing an independent record of the submissions which the Council is required to share with the public and use to assess its decision on reclassification.

At the Public Hearing, 16 people made oral submissions (nine of whom also made written submissions) and Council received 21 written submissions. Most submissions were opposed to the reclassification.

The concerns are summarised into three areas:

• The reasons for reclassification didn’t stack up

• Concerns around legal and procedural issues with Council’s decision-making processes to date

• Deficiencies in planning proposal documentation and justifications for the reclassification

As a result, the Report identified key questions raised from the community’s perspective directly relating to the proposal, being:

• Can Council lawfully operate the existing facility on community land with a plan of management in place that enables leasing for specified uses? If not, why?

• Can Barroul House and its curtilage be excised from the proposed reclassification? If not, why?

• How will the proposed sale of the land and associated facility impact Council’s financial position (short and longterm)? What additional information, if any, can Council make available to the community to explain the financial implications for the potential sale and other options it may have considered?

• Has Council acted unlawfully by resolving to sell the land before the reclassification process has commenced and was complete? If not, why?