The local community have a 1050 square metre parcel of land at 1A Jaques St Ourimbah returned to them for future community use after a ceremony on site this week.
This land once housed a Nissen Hut community hall which was a World War Two period structure that The Ourimbah School of Arts in 1994 transferred to the University of Newcastle on the understanding that it would use and maintain the premises.
The Hut, also known as the Hangar, deteriorated over time, was left boarded up and the public toilets disconnected.
Unbeknown to the community, the University had been given development consent to dismantle and repurpose the Hut, demolish the toilets and sell off the land.
A strong community campaign then ensued, with an epetition to the NSW Parliament calling for the land to be returned to the community.
At the July 25 council-under-administration meeting, Administrator Rik Hart agreed to accept the land from the university for $1.
Member for The Entrance David Mehan said the community was thrilled with the win and should be proud of their achievement.
He said he would continue to support their vision for this site.
“I want to thank both Council and the University for transferring this land back into community hands,” he said.
“A special thank you goes out to the Ourimbah Region Residents’ Association who continually advocate for and on behalf of our community and its interests.
“Council now has the responsibility to discuss with the Ourimbah community the future use of this land and I look forward to ensuring that this happens.”
Ourimbah Region Residents’ Association (ORRA) member Greg McGill said the win represented a great result for the community.
“I would like to acknowledge the collective efforts of our local state Member David Mehan MP, Newcastle University, Central Coast Council and last but not least Ourimbah residents who have advocated long and hard to achieve this outcome.,” he said.
“ORRA and the Ourimbah Community look forward to consulting with Council to decide on the appropriate community use of this site.”
