LAKE Macquarie MP Greg Piper has slammed the local council's "appalling" decision to try to save Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre, arguing it flies in the face of advice from its own staff and geotechnical experts.
"The comments from the mayor [Kay Fraser] would tend to indicate that she's taken the lead on this in the absence of any real knowledge, technical knowledge, needed to underpin such a decision," he said.
"I think it's an outrageous position she's taken, she has every right to go to the minister but the comments she's been making are so blasé, to go back and use that site - that's not right.
"It's not helpful, a decision has been made to relocate the centre and Origin have paid the compensation to the NSW Office of Sport, it's done."
Mr Piper said that instead of kicking a dead horse, he'd like to see councillors focus their attention on a future facility on land formerly part of Morisset Hospital, despite having no publicly available concrete plans and a land transfer that's continued to drag on four years after the camp's closure.
He said he understood the land transfer between NSW Parks and Wildlife and the NSW Office of Sport was in the "end stages" and questioned mayor Kay Fraser's claims that she was promised a facility that would be 'like-for-like'.
Mr Piper confirmed the Office of Sport does not plan to include overnight accommodation at the new site, arguing there was ample capacity at the Point Wolstoncroft Sport and Recreation Centre just 37km away.
Cr Fraser said Mr Piper wouldn't be aware of what was promised because he wasn't part of a briefing after Myuna's closure between the Office of Sport, the council, its executive team and staff.
She said the reason staff originally recommended approving the demolition of the site was because without ministerial approval, there was no other option.
"That's the only option they had, so therefore the only option we had as councillors speaking for the community is to call it up to council and make a different decision," she said.
"We understand we're not the authority, we can't refuse it, therefore we've taken it to the appropriate minister for him to revisit the last 4.5 years and consider what this would mean to our community - it would be an absolutely travesty to have this asset ripped away."
An Office of Sport spokesman confirmed that following demolition of the centre, the site "would remain in public ownership" and be "revegetated".
The state of the dam wall which ultimately closed the site overnight in 2019 due to concerns about the risks the nearby Eraring power station's coal ash dam posed in the event of an earthquake is shrouded in confusion.
Lake Macquarie council maintains Origin Energy representatives told executive staff in late November that works on the ash dam had been completed, while an Origin spokesman told the Newcastle Herald works were well advanced and should be finished in early 2025.
"The risks that existed in 2019 have not changed," the Origin spokesman said.
Origin is expected to provide an updated risk assessment to Dams Safety NSW by March 31, 2024.
Dams Safety NSW chief executive Chris Salkovic said he was told Origin is still in the process of construction works to improve the safety of its dam, which is a "large and complex undertaking".
"At its last advice to Dams Safety NSW is September 2023, Origin had forecast a completion date of December 2024, however this could slightly change considering the nature of the work," he said.
"To date, we are satisfied with the level of compliance being demonstrated by Origin Energy on this project."
Mr Piper said if the council wants to put its hand up to take on responsibility for the current site, he would happily "go to bat" for them.
"I'd love for it to be maintained in public ownership, that's the long-term goal is that perhaps it will end up in council ownership and return to a public use, whether that's active or passive recreation, but this is not the way to do it," he said.
"It's a very poor process they're going through here and it's causing unnecessary problems."
Mr Piper said that with $40 million in the budget for the new centre, he's confident the community would be impressed and suggested the council could chip in "$10 million" in developer contributions and come on as a partner.
"As we move into the detail I think people will be really pleased with the inclusions," he said.
As part of its decision earlier this week, the council also requested the deed of agreement between the Office of Sport and Origin Energy be made public.
