Commercial luxury accommodation in conservation reserves incur high costs, causes environmental impacts, brings few additional visitors and generates minimal park revenue. Placing commercial developments in parks also undercuts tourism services in neighbouring towns, where tourists would otherwise spend money.
What you can do:
Writing to NSW Parliamentarians is probably the most important thing you can do to ensure that your views are heard.
The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC
Minister for the Environment and Heritage
www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/ministers/minister-environment-heritage
Dear Minister Sharpe,
Gardens of Stone SCA
Express some of these points in your own words:
- I am pleased that you have cancelled the current lease processes in the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area
- I support nature-focused, low impact, basic facilities like campgrounds, walking tracks, carparks and lookouts built on already disturbed land and serviced by good 2WD roads that everyone can use
- Aboriginal community involvement in reserve management, including through environmental restoration associated with the development of basic facilities
- Nature-focused management that protects the Gardens of Stone's scenic pagoda landscapes, and its native plants and animals, and complete protection of its nationally endangered upland swamps.
- I oppose the proposed ziplines and via ferrata facilities would blight views of the iconic Lost City pagodas
- Accommodation hubs for commercial interests would privatise the reserve’s scenic attractions and require a gold-plated, tax-payer funded Great Walk determined in secret through confidential leases that would be built at the expense of other management priorities
Further information
Concerns regarding the proposed leases
You could also write to the:
Blue Mountains Gazette
letter to the editor
Lithgow Mercury
letter to the editor