04 October 2018
Aboriginal cultural heritage items that could tell us more about the area’s history have been identified during the current works to upgrade Lions Park in Kingscliff.
The finds were immediately reported to the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage in accordance with the National Parks and Wildlife Act and some works have now been paused.
The law now requires that an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment (ACHA) is completed to understand if further harm can be avoided and, if required, an Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit (AHIP) is applied for and granted.
Manager Recreation Services Stewart Brawley said some works would still be possible over the next couple of months and that the park will be open for use over the Christmas period.
“Council is already working with a local archaeologist who will undertake the required ACHA process, which is set out in legislation, in consultation with the Aboriginal community. This will take a number of months to complete,” Mr Brawley said.
“There’s still some works we can do and these will be completed by the end of November.
“We’ll then come back and complete the final parts of the upgrade next year once the ACHA and legislative requirements have been completed”
It is expected that there will be very little disruption to the public over the Christmas break with the park open for use with no loss of car park or beach access.
The design plans can be viewed at www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/LionsPark
Photo 1(JPG, 225KB)
Caption: Works taking place in Lions Park