The group behind plans to redevelop Killalea State Park has been urged to "come clean with the community" about the proposal to upgrade and expand facilities.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Meanwhile, the Reflections Holiday Parks group says it will extensively engage with the community.
In 2019, Kiama MP Gareth Ward announced that the NSW Government had awarded a $6.5 million grant to upgrade the site, run by the Reflections Holiday Parks group which will invest $4.4 million into the project.
Among those who has been calling for consultation on the proposal is Richard Berndt, who runs the 'Save The Farm, no tourist development for Killalea State Park' group on Facebook.
Mr Berndt said many concerned residents wanted to know exactly what Reflections' plans were.
"Everyone would have liked to have known much sooner than now what their plans are," he said.
"Just in the past few days, we've seen some ideas of where they wanted to put those eco-cabins. I'm sure they've had those plans for a long time, but we've only just seen them recently.
"It feels like they've been hanging on to the plans for a little while and not sharing it.
"Everything got put off with COVID and that's understandable.
"But we'd like to have face-to-face meetings, not just with small groups or via Zoom, but actually have a large community meeting where everyone can hear these opinions and have a say."
Member for Shellharbour Anna Watson recently called on Reflections to "come clean with the community" about its proposed plans to upgrade and expand facilities at Killalea Reserve.
"We have a right to know what is going on," she said.
A Reflections spokesperson said they had run a full week of consultation sessions, which took place online due to the recent flooding.
The spokesperson said these online sessions would not replace face-to-face sessions, which would be taking place from April 27. They will be open to the general public, at a Shellharbour venue that's to be confirmed.
As well as 15 eco-luxury cabins and a function centre, the $10 million redevelopment would include 53 fully-serviced 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 to protect the environmentally sensitive land from tourism development.
In 2007, the Save Killalea Alliance was formed to fight a $35 million development that would have seen 106 accommodation lodges built on the site.
In 2019, Mr Berndt launched a petition demanding the government abandon the controversial development.
The petition attracted thousands of signatures.
"The main issue we've been talking about and trying to understand on the Facebook page is what do these cabins look like, and where would they be?" Mr Berndt told the Mercury. "And what would this function/community centre look like, and where would it be?"
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.