Annual site holders count cost of possible home loss

KERRI Trotter said she purchased a 26-foot caravan, bathroom, annexe and carport at Bright’s NRMA Caravan Park four years ago, to the tune of $50,000. In July she received an email that could mean the entire value of her purchase will be lost. “I was nearly physically ill when I got the email, and I know other people were too,” she said. “People who have had vans for ages have been going ahead and doing extensions and renovations, all with council approval, to then find out, sorry, you can't stay there.” The Moe resident is one of more than 30 annual site owners who face losing their site at the NRMA Bright Holiday Park as the park manager transitions some sites to short-term accommodation. As reported in the Alpine Observer in August, the park is installing new tourist accommodation, meaning some annual sites will no longer be available, and relocation within the park for these site holders is not guaranteed. According to Ms Trotter, if her holiday home is not relocated within the park, she is likely to lose the entire value of her $50,000 purchase, and around $5000 worth of upgrades she has put into her holiday home. “We’d be lucky to recoup anything,” she said. “It’ll just be what it’d be worth for salvage.” She said the bathroom, annexe and carport will likely be scrapped, while the concrete slab underneath the annexe will also be removed, all at her own cost. Even if she is relocated within the park, she thinks it will cost around $20,000 to move. According to Ms Trotter, those that have entered the park’s ballot for the limited number of relocation sites will find out the results this Sunday. However, South Melbourne resident Robyn Wilson hasn’t entered the ballot. “My caravan is really old,” she said. “If it was to be relocated, I'm sure it will not work very well.” Instead she will simply demolish her caravan and annexe at the park. “September next year it has to be vacated,” she said. “I'm just going to use it as much as I can in the next six months at least.” Ms Wilson has owned her caravan for 22 years, like a number of site holders with a long association with the park. “My sister has been two doors up, she's had hers over 40 years,” she said. “All the people on that street that we're in, we've all become friends.” Victorian Government policies surrounding park management clearly stipulate that 12-month site leases do not guarantee a term beyond the yearly agreement. In fact, one policy statement, titled ‘Improving equity of access to Crown land caravan and camping parks’ suggest park managers take steps to limit site holders’ sense of ownership of the site by forbidding garden beds, communicating that permit renewal is not guaranteed, and using the term ’12-month permit’ instead of ‘annual permit’. Ms Wilson said her 12-month lease was made clear, but when she first bought her caravan the park was owned by a local man they knew. “Everyone liked him and then he didn't renew the lease when his time came up, and that's when it got into the hands of bigger companies,” she said. As the park is Crown land, the Alpine Shire Council is appointed as land manager of the park by the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action. According to council’s director of assets Alan Rees, council officers follow DEECA policies and guidelines on Crown land and must comply with all relevant legislation and other statutory requirements and regulations that may apply. He said council has not had any input on the decision to remove annual sites from the park, and this is an operational decision that can be made by the park operator. A spokesperson for NRMA Parks and Resorts said they have offered an extended transition period for the annual site holders, as well as a number of free nights at the park on powered caravan or camping sites and a 25 per cent discount for bookings on other sites at the Bright Park until September 2026.

Annual site holders count cost of possible home loss

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