Residents of Oasis Caravan Park felt the love when the Central Coast Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service (CCTAAS) hosted a meeting outlining their options.
The residents, including owners and renters in caravans and mobile homes, are fighting to keep their community together in the face of a redevelopment proposal to build 675 units across a series of high-rise buildings on the 5ha site at Kanwal.
Some residents have been at the 60-year-old Oasis, now renamed Wyong Village, for decades. None of them want to leave.
“Please don’t kick us out,” one resident said.
“This is our home. We are a community and we don’t want to be broken up. We look after each other.”
The residents even had suggestions on where the proposed development could go: on a 3.44ha parcel of land currently for sale at 66 Wahroonga Rd, Kanwal, which has development approval in place to build 30 two-storey townhouses for Seniors Living.
And they noted a building in Wyong where tenants had been evicted but nothing had happened on the site after they left.
Di Evans from the tenants advocacy service explained how they would support the residents and urged them to leave a message if no-one was available from their small local team to answer the phone.
“We will get back to you,” Evans said.
Also present was the main resource body for Central Coast Tenants Advocacy Service, the Tenants Union which has been fighting for tenants’ rights since 1976.
Eloise Parrab from the Union acknowledged the stress and worry facing the residents.
Parrab outlined the laws applying to their situation and what their rights were.
These included relocation, compensation, and using the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).
Parrab explained that the operator must make reasonable endeavours to find the home owner alternative accommodation and to pay in advance the reasonable costs of relocating.
In a statement to Coast News, Oasis owners, Land Lease SPV said permanent residents would receive a minimum of 12 months notice before relocation would occur.
“Every effort will be made to provide residents with as much notice as possible as construction timeframes become certain,” Land Lease said.
“Land Lease SPV has approached local community housing providers to develop a plan to offer residents housing at discounted rent within the new development, or at another location.
“This will ensure residents will have secure accommodation.
“A house buy-back option will also be offered to residents after a development approval is issued.
“The purchase price would be based on an independent valuation.
“Post sale, permanent residents would have the option to continue to rent the house for an agreed period of time at the current site fee. This will allow residents additional time to transition to other accommodation.”
“Every effort will be made to provide tenants with as much notice as possible as timeframes become certain,” Land Lease said.
“Land Lease SPV will work with social services and community housing providers to assist tenants with accommodation options and support services.”
The proposal was recently open for public comment and is being assessed by the Department of Housing under its Rezoning Pathways Program.
In December 2022, the department invited industry to apply under a pilot process for the state-assessed planning proposal pathway.
Oasis was one of five projects selected.
Details on the proposed redevelopment at 207-209 Wallarah Rd and 755-757 Pacific Hwy are now public on a new website. https://wyongvillage.com.au/