Update on China EV giant in secret Aus act

A controversial plan to store thousands of Chinese-made electric vehicles at one of Australia’s favourite holiday theme parks has been knocked on the head.

A controversial plan to store thousands of Chinese-made BYD electric vehicles at one of Australia’s favourite holiday theme parks has been knocked on the head.

The plan by Jamberoo Action Park, which sits about 120km south of Sydney, has been knocked back by Kiama Council, just days after News Corp exclusively revealed the cars were parked there without proper approval.

“The DA was refused by Council,” a council spokesperson said on Thursday.

BYD cars stored at Jamberoo Action Park. Picture: Supplied

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The water park, based near Kiama on the NSW South Coast, lodged the application in September after Council compliance officers warned the activity was unauthorised and prohibited under the site’s rural zoning.

However, Jamberoo claims it sought legal advice before proceeding and blames “a broken planning system” for the outcome.

“If you can’t store cars in a car park, without impact to anyone, then something in the planning system clearly isn’t working,” general manager Matt George told Channel 9’s A Current Affair.

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“Before lodging our Development Application, we sought and received legal advice confirming that the activity was permissible.

“We shared that advice with the Kiama Municipal Council, and to date we’ve not seen any legal advice from Council that contradicts it.”

The park also said it had asked for more time to provide additional reports but the DA was rejected “without further discussion”.

Council however says the case is straightforward, the use breached planning rules and required consent that was “prohibited in the rural zone”.

Kiama Council has refused the DA from Jamberoo Action Park. Picture: Supplied

“Council advised that development consent was required to operate a transport depot and also noted that this use was prohibited in the rural zones,” a council spokesperson said.

Jamberoo has vowed to appeal, calling the car storage a “low-impact, job-creating initiative”.

Jamberoo Action Park did not respond to multiple requests for comment from news.com.au last week or this week to comment.

Kiama Council said it broadly supports electric-vehicle adoption, pointing to its own corporate emissions reduction plan and installation of public charging stations but explained that “proper planning approvals” must still be followed.

BYD Australia previously told news.com.au that the vehicles were managed by an external logistics provider and that it takes its compliance obligation “seriously”.

The car park was full of new vehicles..

The issue created headlines earlier this week, when it was revealed thousands of new Chinese electric vehicles had been left stranded at Jamberoo Action Park without council approval.

Photos taken at Jamberoo Action Park showed endless rows of unregistered BYD vehicles, including Shark utes and Sealion SUVs, covering car spots and overflow areas at the popular water park.

The site was exposed as a temporary home to countless Chinese cars with no number plates, covered in protective wrapping and shipping labels used before cars reach showrooms.

At the time neither Jamberoo Action Park, BYD, nor its former distributor EVDirect – were willing to explain why the cars were there or who was responsible for them.

Originally published as Update on China EV giant in secret Aus act