Killalea family oppose State Park plan

THE great-great-grandson of Ed-ward Killalea has labelled the planned development of a world-class eco resort on his relative's former property as "an absolute disgrace".

A NSW Government decision to sign a 52-year lease with developer Killalea Coastal Investments has sparked a massive community uproar.

Edward Killalea, a deported Irish Convict and Shellharbour councillor, began farming the now State Park in 1836.

Killalea descendant Terry Killalea-Hore travelled from his Taralgon home in Victoria last week to meet with community groups opposing the Government decision to develop the area.

After visiting the Killalea State Park for the first time since 2001, Mr Killalea-Hore expressed his surprise at how much the area had changed in the past five years, saying he would be devastated if the further proposed development went ahead.

"The last time I came here it was just paddocks. It has changed so much.

"I knew where I wanted to go, but I could hardly find my way through the houses," he said. "The fact that the houses have become so much closer to the beach makes the area even more important now.

"We have to keep this little piece of paradise how it is.

"It is such an historical and important area. I could not believe that anybody would want to ruin it by over-developing."

After finding out about the development plans in late April, Mr Killalea-Hore said his entire family was shocked and angered at the perceived secretive nature at which the Government had gone about the proposal.

Finding it hard to locate any information on the development, Mr Killalea-Hore got in touch with the Save Killalea Alliance and has since been putting updates of the proposal on to his personal website.

"The cultural, environmental and aesthetic impact of this development could be huge," he said.

"The family is just really concerned about the way the government has done all their business in such a secretive manner. It's basically impossible to find anything out.

"One of my major concerns is that it just isn't the Killalea family that doesn't want this; it's 97 per cent of the community."