The managers of Killalea State Park have thanked the community for "sharing their passion" for the popular reserve.
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This follows a record-breaking mass 'paddle-out' and protest rally at Killalea on Saturday, held to demonstrate community opposition regarding plans to redevelop the park.
A thousand-strong crowd attended the protest.
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.
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.
Reflections hosted initial community engagement meetings on the Killalea proposal via Zoom in March.
Following this, Reflections hosted 11 face-to-face consultation sessions and met with more than 100 members of the community in Shellharbour last week to gather feedback on the proposal.
However, Reflections announced last week that a drop-in information session planned for the same day as the community rally/paddle-out had been postponed to make room for the protest.
Following the face-to-face consultation sessions with the community, Reflections says it is now commencing the review of the "comprehensive" feedback received and will continue to work on addressing community concerns.
Acting CEO Cameron Tynan said conversations last week were informative and constructive, with the team building a greater understanding of concerns that the local community had regarding the project, and what their aspirations were for the future of Killalea.
"We thank everyone who took the time to meet with us and share their feedback and unique perspectives of Killalea last week," Mr Tynan said.
"We understand that people may have been disappointed that they did not get to meet the team at the reserve on Saturday while the community protest was taking place.
"We watched the live feed on Facebook, and the passion and key sentiments surrounding the project echoed what we heard in our consultation sessions during the week."
Mr Tynan said community consultation was a fundamental part of the project, with more opportunities to meet with the Reflections team to be scheduled in the coming months.
Community members can continue to provide feedback or ask questions of the project team through the engagement hub at https://reflections.engagementhub.com.au or via email at KillaleaFeedback@reflectionsholiday.com.au.
Meanwhile, Shellharbour MP Anna Watson has demanded that Reflections scrap their proposed plans to develop Killalea Reserve, while also calling on the NSW Government in a Notice of Motion before Parliament to remove Reflections as the park managers and reinstate a community-based trust for the management responsibility of the reserve.
"Developing this area to make it profitable is not what our community wants," Ms Watson said.
"People want to see Killalea left alone and returned to a community board of governance. Not every blade of grass needs to be developed."
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