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Council Seeks Input for Park Closure

A meeting of Wellington Shire Council has voted to close Port Albert Caravan Park and seek community input on redevelopment of the foreshore area as open space.

By Wellington Shire Council - 6th December 2006 - Back to News

The caravan park will close in September 2007.

"This gives park users plenty of time to make alternative arrangements," said Cr Beth Ripper, Mayor of Wellington Shire Council.

"It also gives the Port Albert community ample opportunity to work with Council in redesigning the foreshore area as attractive public open space.

Council will now establish a community reference group to consider a strategy plan for public open space to link in with other development and beautification work along the Port Albert foreshore. Council will also have direct discussions with the Port Albert Coast Guard and the Port Albert Yacht Club on their future accommodation requirements.

"The caravan park was simply too small to be commercially viable and needed a substantial upgrade," said Cr Ripper.

All caravan parks must comply with new Victorian State Government requirements, including appropriate spacing for fire safety and standard of facilities. This means that the park needed to be reconfigured with significant investment by Council if it was to keep operating.

Cr Ripper said that although Council should not have a role in managing commercial accommodation such as caravan parks, working with developers is still open for consideration.

Council will now examine what measures will be required to maintain the park in a safe condition pending closure. It will also undertake discussions with the proprietor of the nearby Seabank Caravan Park on the possible expansion of that park to cater for increased demand following closure of the Port Albert Caravan Park.

Cr Ripper explained that whilst the resolution to close the park stated that Council would ‘undertake no commercial development on the Caravan Park site at this time’, it was the clear intention of Council that the immediate foreshore area would always remain as public open space.

"This was clearly the preferred community option if the park was to close."

"We see it as only being open space into the foreseeable future," said Cr Ripper.

Council carried out an extensive consultation process with the Port Albert community before making its decision. Four options were considered:

  • Maintain and upgrade the caravan park on the existing site.
  • Development of a new caravan park on an alternative site within Port Albert.
  • Development of part of existing site for residential and/or commercial purposes, with portion of site abutting foreshore developed as public open space.
  • Develop entire caravan park site as public open space.


Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com



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