Building a second access road into the popular Killalea State Park could cost up to $7 million, according to Shellharbour council.
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The council has been considering four options to the road, which it says is necessary due to congestion on Killalea Drive which provides the sole access way into Stage 6 of Shell Cove and the recreation park.
The first and cheapest option would be to extend Golf Drive, past the Links Golf Club, which would cost $1.4 million.
The second ($2.9 million) would extend Buckley Road past Dunmore tip.
The third and fourth options would both run through Killalea State Park, costing $6.8 million (from the south, at Dunmore) and $7 million (from the north, at Shell Cove).
The details of the road costs will be discussed by councillors on Tuesday, off the back of a question raised by councillor Kellie Marsh at the last meeting.
Then, councillors were discussing a $6.5 million NSW Government grant awarded to the Reflections Holiday Park, which will allow development of 15 luxury cabins, a 200-seat function centre, 53 full-service campsites, a new playground, walking trails and outdoor recreational equipment.
The plan was met with uproar from members of the community, who have fought hard over the past 12 years to protect the environmentally sensitive land from tourism development.
Mayor Marianne Saliba said she welcomed any funding and was aware of how costly it was to maintain the state park, but was concerned that park operators, local Aboriginal people and the council had not been consulted before the redevelopment funding was awarded.
She also said a "southern access road" needed to be part of the scope of the project, and recommended the council write to request that the development not proceed until extensive consultation and engagement was undertaken with all relevant stakeholders.