Arabic version: اعتبار كشك مؤقت مرجحًا لاستيفاء شروط إيجار بيغ سبلاش

According to ABC News, Access Canberra says it is “more likely than not” that a pop-up food stall at Canberra’s closed Big Splash water park meets lease requirements for an “unlicensed family restaurant”. The stall appeared on Sunday, the deadline operators had agreed to meet one of the lease’s permitted purposes.

The setup outside the derelict Macquarie site included a portable gazebo, barbecue, plastic chairs and tables, and a portaloo. The operator had until November 1 to operate an aquatic facility, indoor sports facility or family restaurant. Access Canberra said the Crown lease does not define “unlicensed family restaurant” or set a building type, operating model, scale or minimum operating frequency.

Access Canberra head Josh Rynehart said the regulator considered the lease wording and work undertaken in recent months, including replacement fencing. He said the wording could be permissive, allowing activity without necessarily requiring it. The regulator said it must apply the law as it stands and cannot act simply because another outcome is preferred where litigation would not have reasonable prospects of success.

There was no pop-up stall at the site on Monday. Big Splash, Canberra’s only water park, has been closed since the beginning of 2024 and was put up for sale in June. Attorney-General Tara Cheyne said the government had committed to a comprehensive options analysis, while describing the site as difficult to deal with. Access Canberra said it would continue monitoring the property and take further regulatory action if circumstances warranted it.