Two contracts with Australia China Theme Park Pty Ltd (“ACTP”) were officially terminated by Central Coast Council on July 19.
According to a Council media release issued on July 24, Council and ACTP were parties to two contracts for the sale of two lots of land in Warnervale to ACTP. “On July 19, Council terminated those contracts, and pursuant to provisions in those contracts, retained the deposits paid to Council by ACTP under those contracts,” the media release said. “Any other potential sale or uses of the land will be a decision of the future elected Council,” it said. Council then issued a subsequent release on July 26 which stated: “The former Wyong Council and ACTP entered into the contracts in February, 2016.
“The terms of those two contracts remain confidential. Central Coast Council has …retained the two $300,000 deposits paid by ACTP under the two contracts. “That $600,000 includes a $100,000 deposit that ACTP paid to the former Wyong Council as a deposit under the earlier contract for the sale of the same land. “Council received a Development Application (DA) for stage one of the proposed Chinese Theme Park. “This DA was being assessed with the assistance of an external consultant, consistent with Council’s usual practice when dealing with complex development applications that are determined by the JRPP. “The determining authority for the DA is the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP).
“At no stage has Central Coast Council been a proponent of the proposed Chinese Theme Park, nor has it been in any partnership or other commercial arrangement with ACTP in respect to that proposed park. “Council’s only roles in respect to the proposed Chinese Theme Park have been its now prior role as a vendor of the land, on commercially sound terms, and its ongoing role as a planning authority. “Public statements by former Wyong Councillors either in support of, or opposed to, the proposed Chinese Theme Park are the personal opinions of those former Councillors, and not the views of Central Coast Council,” the media release said. It is understood that after the termination of the contracts, the ACTP development application for the construction of the Buddhist Temple has been withdrawn.
Source: Media releases, Jul 24 and 26 Central Coast Council media