While I'm sure that Ian Young's letter last Saturday (Mercury, November 3) was a well-intentioned and possibly disinterested opinion on the proposed large-scale tourist resort at Killalea State Park, some of his references contain errors of fact that need to be corrected.
Killalea is not a National Park as he states, it is a very small State Park. Mr Young mistakenly suggests that the proposed resort is little more than holiday cottages on disused farmland.
Wrong on both fronts.
The proposal consists of 202 lodges (that look like ugly demountables on the concept plan), swimming pools, tennis courts, restaurants, a conference centre, car parks, staff accommodation and storage sheds.
The disused farmland is used, by picnickers, barbequers, wedding parties, family groups, and children running free in increasingly rare safe and open space.
Mr Young's observation that the good people earnestly trying to save Killalea might be just self-interested local landholders is an unfortunate allegation. Being actively involved in this David and Goliath battle, I know of no such fellow battlers owning any such thing, nor possessing the means to afford such expensive land.
Mr Young further offers that the proposed tourist resort is "Regrettably ... necessary for the public to continue to enjoy the park". No it's not. The proposed tourist resort is a short-sighted plan by the NSW Government to turn public land into cash cows and ticket clippers for treasury and the NSW ALP's developer mates.
Babcock & Brown, a beneficiary of the 52-year lease of this community's Killalea State Park, has donated over $200,000 to the NSW ALP since this atrocity has been contemplated.
Not that that's illegal. But jeez, it's not a good look. Is it, Mr Young?
Mark Paloff
Fairy Meadow
Illawarra Mercury - 7 November 2007
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