Waterfront land at Lake Illawarra that was subject to an ambiguous sale process is now definitely off the market.
The eight-hectare parcel of land, on the western side of King Street at Warrawong, was involved in a confusing potential sale process by the previous government.
Property and Development NSW had issued a call for a registration of interest (ROI) process for possible uses of the site but repeatedly said "the site is not for sale".
This was despite the ROI document identifying Property NSW - which manages the state's property portfolio - as "the vendor" and stating an objective behind the process was to "develop a divestment strategy".
Elsewhere it explicitly stated the reason for the registration process was "to gauge the interest of developers, tenants and investors to identify information in relation to the acquisition and the subsequent development of the property".
Wollongong MP Paul Scully was among those questioning the government's motivation and calling for an end to sale plans.
Ruling out the sale became a campaign promise for Mr Scully and Labor. On Friday, the now Planning Minister fulfilled that promise.
Mr Scully visited the site on Friday with Lands and Property Minister Steve Kamper.
"During the election campaign we listened to the community, and we are now making good on our commitment not to sell the site," Mr Kamper said.
"The government, where appropriate, has a responsibility to make sure public land remains in public hands and is used to benefit the community.
"This site is on a prime location on the foreshore, and we want to extend the current public uses to create a world-class space for locals and visitors to enjoy."
He said the decision was made easier by the more than 200 public submissions opposing the sell-off.
Mr Scully was pleased the land would be kept in public hands.
"We will now work on identifying opportunities for this wonderful public space to make it more of a drawcard for the local community and visitors to the region."
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Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
