Owners of holiday vans in Kiama Council's Werri Beach and Seven Mile Beach holiday parks have reacted angrily to a freeze on the sale of vans while the council considers redevelopment plans.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On June 16, Kiama Council adopted a "no sale and no improvement policy" in confidential session.
The policy came into effect immediately and will remain in place indefinitely.
The council said the policy was in line with the NSW government's Crown Lands Caravan Parks Policy, which aimed to reduce the number of privately owned vans located on Crown reserves.
This was to free up sites to meet "increasing demand by the travelling public for tourist sites" as the popularity of campervans and motorhomes rises.
Some van owners have obtained maps of draft redevelopment plans for the two holiday parks giving clues to which sites may go, but in May the council resolved to defer considering the master plan until November.
Concerned holiday van owners have formed an action group and are considering a class action that could involve owners of 168 vans that stand to be affected by any redevelopment.
They are angry at the freeze, which prevents many people who already have vans for sale from selling. This includes six people who were moving sites within the parks and have been left owning two vans and paying two sets of fees.
However, the majority are concerned about the future of their holiday vans, some of which have been held by families for years.
The van owners were informed of the freeze by letter sent the day after the June council meeting.
"Everyone is really disappointed and really upset by the letter," spokesman for the van owners David Wood said.
"We want some answers, we want to know how it will affect us and if we are to lose our property are we going to get some compensation or reimbursement for what we have invested here?"
Mr Wood said the van owners would take up their fight not just with the council, but also the NSW government.
"We will be talking to people in Crown Lands and the state ombudsman to ensure we get a fair answer."
Vans in the parks exchange for tens of thousands dollars and annual fees are more than $5000.
Kiama Council said it was made clear that owners of private holiday vans owned the built asset (the van), but they did not own the Crown land the asset was on.
The council said it had decided to implement the no sale and no improvement policy to ensure potential buyers "were aware of the situation" and that further investigations into options for park improvements proceeded in "the most ethical and fair way".
The council said the goal of the draft master plan was to increase the number of tourist sites and upgrade the parks by improving internal roads and access, disabled access, safety, and the range and quality of additional recreational facilities.