Generous leases to be handed over for shacks on public land
Hundreds of lessees with shacks on Crown land will get more generous conditions but discussions are still underway about what to do with properties in national parks.
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Hundreds of South Australians with shacks on Crown Land will soon be able to transition to generous long-term leasing arrangements with new laws meaning a death does not end a long-term tradition.
However, the future of about 90 shacks in some of the state’s most popular national parks is still up for debate.
New laws give families greater certainty of tenure, by creating opportunities for shack lessees to convert their existing life tenure lease, to another lease or to freehold, instead of losing the properties when the leaseholder dies.
In April 2018, the State Government issued a moratorium to prevent the ongoing removal of shacks upon the death of the last-named lessee.
But new rules were required to extend leases for other family members.
Environment Minister David Speirs said as part of the new rules leaseholders will need to upgrade shacks to meet contemporary safety, amenity and environmental standards including meeting building and wastewater standards.
“Many shacks have been held by the same family for generations, and these people have a strong connection to the local area, as well as a desire to be good environmental stewards,” Mr Speirs said.
“Lessees are not guaranteed greater tenure and they will be responsible for applying for necessary regulatory approvals, including any planning approvals in accordance with South Australian legislation.
“It is the responsibility of regulators, including planning authorities, to grant or refuse approvals needed to meet the safety, amenity or environmental standards in accordance with existing laws.”
Greens MLC Mark Parnell said the shacks are a historical legacy but the State Government should have stuck to the original deal that saw properties removed when the current leaseholder dies.
“The new government is a privatising government, it is their DNA to privatise and that is what they are doing,” Mr Parnell said.
“Public access to the riverbank, and other common areas, are limited when you have these shacks on public land.”
The new laws apply to 230 shacks on Crown lands.
The main settlements are in Milang, Fisherman’s Bay and Glenelg River.
But there are other shacks in the Riverland, as well as at Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island.
Over the next two months current lessees will be given the option to apply for freeholding, or
a new term lease.
They will also be given the option to surrender their current lease, conditional upon the grant of a new term lease to another person they have nominated.
If they do nothing the lease will expire when the current lessee dies.
The State Government is asking for feedback from the public on the future of 90 shacks in national parks.
“Existing park management plans for Coorong National Park, Innes National Park, Little Dip Conservation Park and Parks of the Coffin Bay Area, do not currently envisage the retention of shacks within the parks,” Mr Speirs said.
“Draft amendments have been proposed to the relevant park management plans and they are currently subject to a public consultation process.”