Arabic version: خطة حديقة مائية في بارغارا تثير انقساماً بين سكان متنزه نيلسون
According to ABC News, Bundaberg Regional Council has narrowly approved starting a tender process for part of Nielson Park at Bargara, where a potential publicly accessible splash park has sparked opposition over public green space. The site is a roughly 2.8-hectare grassed area with native trees beside a caravan park, in the Queensland coastal community almost five hours’ drive north of Brisbane.
The council’s procedural motion passed after debate at its ordinary meeting on Tuesday, although no tender submissions or concepts have yet been presented. Mayor Helen Blackburn described the move as “the first step, not the last” and said it would allow the council to identify possible opportunities for the land. She said the council did not have funding to build the project itself and that a lease could enable a facility without capital or ongoing costs for council or ratepayers.
Six councillors voted for the tender process: Helen Blackburn, Steve Cooper, Larine Statham-Blair, Carmen McEneany, Gary Kirk and Deborah Keslake. Tracey McPhee, Jason Bartels, William Trevor, May Mitchell and John Learmonth voted against it. Councillor Bartels criticised the lack of detail and questioned whether the council wanted to be known for “paved paradise with a caravan park”, while Councillor Keslake said misinformation had circulated on social media.
An amendment requires further community consultation if a proposal is not consistent with the existing Land Management Plan. Blackburn said any tender and proposal would need to meet community expectations, and said no-one had stated there would be conservation problems with the trees or that trees would be removed.
Residents opposing development filled the public gallery, following a weekend protest in which hundreds formed a chain around the park. Bundaberg and District Landcare president Michael Johnson said the group was considering legal action, calling the vote “only the first battle in the start of a war”. Blackburn acknowledged the issue was divisive but said she believed more residents supported the splash park idea.
