Trust hits back on DA

KILLALEA Trust President Ed Gilmore has hit back at claims by Shellharbour Mayor David Hamilton that Council has not been kept adequately informed on the proposed development.

Cr Hamilton said Council did not receive a briefing until they asked for one.

Mr Gilmore said for Cr Hamilton to claim he knew nothing about the proposed development is "simply outrageous".

"The Killalea State Park Trust has continued to follow correct procedures and has maintained transparency with regards to all of the negotiations for this development since its inception in 2002, apart from the necessary commercially confidential negotiations with the proponents," Mr Gilmore said.

Mr Gilmore said due process has been followed to the letter.

"Since the recent publicity, much of which has been quite scurrilous, it has become apparent that certain people are now making totally misleading statements for their own political grandstanding. I think they may have developed what could be referred to as selective recall," he said.

The agreement to lease document, which was signed recently between the Proponents and the Trust, allows the Proponents to go ahead and prepare plans and specifications in the form of a Development Application, which will in turn be submitted to the appropriate authority for their consideration.

"This is the normal procedure for any development application, but what isn't normal is for the Mayors to express their opposition to any development and to pre-judge it without even viewing the application," Mr Gilmore said.

Cr Hamilton said he was not Mayor of Shellharbour in 2002, therefore was not privy to any information disclosed to Council then.

He said he doesn't play games and has to take the facts as they are presented to him.

"My concern's are not anti-development," he said.

What Cr Hamilton said he is concerned about is the 52 year lease.

He said he does not believe due process has been followed, as claimed by Mr Gilmore.

"Maybe due process has been followed between the Trust and the government, but Shellharbour Council never received any briefing until we asked," he said.

Cr Hamilton said Cr Barry Bird, Shellharbour Council's representative on the Killalea State Park Trust, should have been allowed to disclose more information.

Cr Bird, along with all of the other Trust members, signed a confidentiality agreement.

"When you have representatives on a committee or trust you hope that some information will come through," he said.

Cr Hamilton said he would continue to speak to Minister for Lands Tony Kelly and Member for Kiama and Tourism Minister Matt Brown to reach a compromise.