“In an exceptional set of circumstances, the Emirates’ Wolgan Valley Resort located onto the World Heritage listed Wollemi National Park after an original proposal on private land was approved by the then Minister for Planning Frank Sartor in 2007,” he said.

“While the resort is now built, we understand that there is still no lease for the national park land on which the resort stands due to extended negotiations with the Wiradjuri Nation over an Indigenous Land Use Agreement”, Mr. Muir said.

“The final character of the wildlife sanctuary aspect of the resort also remains unclear and the agreement to provide the Colong Foundation and the National Parks association with a copy of the draft lease has not been implemented”, Mr. Muir said.

“The wildlife sanctuary will impact on the Wollemi and Gardens of Stone National Parks as a perimeter fence, road and pest species baiting stations will be constructed on park land.

So far the promised draft wildlife sanctuary management plan is yet to materialize so there is no way of the public knowing or influencing what is happening or has happened t their park,” he said.

“A promised land transfer that could be extended to link two vital parts of the World Heritage Area in the Gardens of Stone National Park has not been implemented.

This land transfer opportunity should not be ignored by the Emirates,” said Mr. Muir.

While the opening of the resort is good news for Lithgow, the Emirates still have work to do to ensure the best outcome for the environment,” he said.

The muddled planning and approvals process did not stop this resort due to a lot of community good will toward the Emirates.

Other developers should not think that national park lands are a soft target.

This was a very unusual one off situation, and any new resort proposal in a national park would be subject to a major environmental campaign,” Mr. Muir said.