LANI’S Holiday Island’s operating licence has just been reissued until December 2017, subject to a program of works which will impact on more than 40 of its sites.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Related: Caravan parks told: catch up or close...click here
The park consists of 206 sites of which 23 are long term sites, 172 are short term sites and 11 are camp sites.
It was operating prior to 1986 when the first statewide legislation surrounding caravan parks and ‘moveable dwellings’ was introduced. At the time it was recognised that many existing parks in NSW could not be expected to comply with the full legislation and so exemptions were granted. Some of these continue to have effect today within the most current legislation implemented in 2005.
“There’s a lot of variation currently between parks but ultimately we’re going to see a raising of levels as they all come up to standards and minimise their risks before something bad happens.”
- Great Lakes Council’s acting manager of building assessments Chad Vowles
Great Lakes Council’s acting manager of building assessments Chad Vowles confirmed that council staff always determine which structures are exempt but the exemptions will differ from park to park.
In the lead up to Lani’s initial licence renewal due last year, council identified many areas of non compliance to the current legislation.
The Kingsmill family, who have been operating the park since the mid 1990s, have now put together a timeline plan involving substantial changes and in some cases demolition of structures on sites to comply with council’s directives.
“Despite how we feel about the mammoth task ahead, and who is responsible for the situation as it is today, that being Council, the park proprietors or van owners within the park, we are getting on with the job and in doing so we will continue to work with Council and affected van owners,” Robyn Kingsmill wrote in a statement to the Great Lakes Advocate.
Due to peak seasons preventing work they calculated they have approximately five months per year to get the work done and so a two year time frame was necessary. Structures such as carports, enclosures, annexes and toilets will be either shortened or removed altogether, vans and cabins will be moved to new locations, some structures will be demolished, freestanding legs will be added, a community plan will be drawn up, disabled access added and even the clothesline will be affected, almost doubling in size.
But not everyone agrees that all the homes identified at Lani’s require full compliance.
“There seems to be a new council worker inspecting parks in the Great Lakes,” Gary Martin, the state director for the Affiliated Residential Park Residents Association (ARPRA) said.
“They are not looking closely at when homes were being built,” he said, citing legislated exemptions which ‘forgave the sins of the past’.
“We’re talking about pensioners and low income earners being told they have to remove parts of their home, or get rid of a room altogether. The knock on effects for residents is huge.”
Mr Martin is hoping to establish when certain structures at Lani’s were first built and will seek a meeting with council over the next few weeks.
