The Department of Regional Development and Lands wants the council to consider amalgamating 1345sq m of land from an existing reserve into the caravan park to legalise encroachment over the boundary.
Planning and community development director Dale Page said extensions to existing park homes and storage sheds had encroached into the reserve. Ms Page said the department’s request also gave the council a chance to resolve an imbalance between the amount of permanent and short-stay accommodation, particularly caravan and camping sites.
More short-stay accommodation would increase tourist and visitor accommodation in the area, boosting tourism to the city.
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READ NOWStaff will go back to the department for further information after Mayor Troy Pickard and councillors raised various questions.
Mr Pickard said the site should be one of the ‘jewels in the crown’ of the city.
‘It is a very poor utilisation of a wonderful asset that should be attracting visitors from all over the state,’ he said.
In her report, Ms Page said that if the council agreed to excise part of the reserve, the department would enter into a new lease with the owner of the caravan park, which is on Crown land in Ocean Parade, Iluka.
‘The new lease will not only deal with a new lease term and lease area but will also require around 1345sq m of new caravan park area in the south-west corner of the site to be used for transportable, short-term accommodation only,’ she said.
‘In addition the lease will require the owner to achieve a better balance between short stay and permanent accommodation throughout the park within a certain time frame.’
Officers recommended excision of the land subject to the new area being for short-stay only and a new lease requiring a 50/50 balance between short and long-term accommodation in five years.