Macleay Valley Coastal Holiday Parks will have $1m worth of work invested into them as part of a new lease agreement decided on by Kempsey Shire Council.
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At an extraordinary council meeting on Wednesday (March 1), councillors voted in favour of awarding the management of the parks to Australian Tourist Park Management (ATPM).
ATPM manage more than 30 caravan parks across Australia.
Council, as the Reserve Trust Manager responsible for the parks at Horseshoe Bay, Crescent Head, Grassy Head, Stuarts Point and Hat Head, considered tender submissions received from three companies for management of the parks.
The contract will establish a new style of management, which offers a 10 year term and requires the managing company to invest $1 million towards a major capital works program over five years, while having responsibility for the daily operations and maintenance.
Mayor Liz Campbell said it was not an easy decision for council to not award the tender to the incumbent company that has managed the parks for the past six years, Burcher Nominees Pty Ltd.
“This was not a decision that council made lightly and we debated for a number of hours, before reaching a unanimous position,” she said.
“We thank the Macleay Valley Coast Holiday Parks management team and are very appreciative of the business and revenue improvements they have achieved since taking over in 2011.”
Cr Campbell said the size of the new organisation influenced their decision.
“In ultimately deciding to award the tender to ATPM, who currently manage over 30 parks throughout Australia, council recognised an opportunity to tap into this company’s scale, experience, systems and capacities.”
In debating the awarding of the tender, council noted the five holiday parks are a major part of the Macleay Valley’s tourism sector that create lasting impressions of the area and can influence population, business and investment.
Cr Campbell said the "difficult” decision would hopefully see the organisation take the parks through “the next stage of growth and development”.