Council to vote on endorsement of Indigo caravan parks master plan

Beechworth resident Kerry Bromage, flanked by several other "environment warriors" at a street protest on September 20, garnered feedback from dozens of locals and tourists who were concerned the proposed redevelopment of Lake Sambell Caravan Park would "destroy the site's natural charm".

The master plans for four caravan parks across the shire at Beechworth, Rutherglen, Yackandandah and Chiltern have been a hotly debated topic in Beechworth since the plans were endorsed for public scrutiny at a council meeting on August 30.

"I think at the council meeting there will be some strong 'yes' votes from a few councillors, and some that are sitting on the fence, but it will probably sail through," Mrs Bromage said. "We have done our best to show the public what is going to happen to that caravan park."

Mrs Bromage said many people accepted that aspects of the park could be improved but that some were horrified the site could be overdeveloped.

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"I'm not against them developing the caravan park at all, that's not what this is about," she said. "It just has to be in line with best practices for the environment and take into account the impact on people actually living in the town.

"The strongest feedback I got from people who were staying in the caravan park was dismay at the thought of fancy cabins and glamping tents going up.

"They said they came here for the natural beauty. They were very keen to upgrade the basic amenities but they didn't want the whole park to change and be full of fancy buildings."

Indigo Council said specific sustainability initiatives, including renewable energy, native vegetation, biodiversity and environmental impact assessments, would be addressed at design and construction phase.

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