Having received a Gateway Determination that it can proceed with the process of reclassifying the land at Blue Haven Bonaira to Operational Land, Kiama Council has put the proposal out on public exhibition for 20 days.

While the reclassification from Community to Operational land has become a priority now that Council has decided to sell Blue Haven Bonaira, CEO Jane Stroud says it is something that should have been done a long time ago.

“It is really clear that in three months of constructing that facility it should have been converted as part of the DA process,” says CEO Jane Stroud, who suspects that other Council holdings used for operational purposes may also have fallen through the cracks.

“It is a shame it didn’t happen back then, but we do have to go through the process.”

A letter from the Department of Planning & Environment accompanying the Gateway Determination says, ‘the proposed reclassification corrects a historical land status anomaly to more accurately reflect the existing operational use of the site as a seniors housing facility.’

Council has chosen to go on public exhibition for the minimum of 20 days, rather than the 28 days envisaged in the application.

There will be a public hearing within three weeks of submissions closing on 3 April.

See details here.