The Napthine government’s proposed 99-year lease of the Point Nepean Quarantine Station to a Sorrento-based developer for a luxury resort will see prime public land taken for private profit, opponents say.
On Sunday hundreds gathered at Point Nepean to demand the government dumps the plan, announced in July.
Point Leisure Group’s proposal includes a 108-room hotel and geo-thermal spa facility, a well-being centre, “safari-style” tents for “camping in style”, and a conference and wedding reception centre.
The proposal’s boundaries will cover 60 hectares of the 600-hectare national park.
Opponents say not enough detail has been released on the plan, but that what has been shown indicates it will severely curtail public access to parts of the national park.
“This place belongs to all of us and we mustn’t let it become the plaything of one property developer,” said Kate Baillieu on Sunday at Point Nepean.
Ms Baillieu was behind the campaign that in 2009 stopped the defence department selling the land on the open market. She said the Napthine government now appeared in a rush to sign this deal.
“There are sufficient people deeply concerned about this, and seeing it as a significant first step towards privatising other national parks,” she said.
Point Leisure Group is owned by Sorrento-based couple Richard Shelmerdine and Trine Nilsen. The government has released some detail of the group’s proposal in a “concept overview” document.
Opponents say it is impossible to tell precisely what is being proposed. Despite this, a “community consultation” process commenced in July.
The state opposition also says the overview document does not provide enough detail, given a 99-year lease of public land is being offered.
“People have to know exactly what is proposed before the government signs off on this,” Labor’s Lisa Neville said. “They have released lovely pictures of people enjoying spas … but people should be able to see precisely what is proposed.”
Environment Minister Ryan Smith said the government was offering “a sensitive and sensible approach to the management of Point Nepean”.
And he said the consultation process had ensured “all Victorians have had the opportunity to have their say”. Feedback gathered since the plan was released in July was now being incorporated into the final plan, he said.
The proposed plan would generate up to 220 jobs during construction and up to 390 more once the resort was in operation.
This story first appeared in The Age
