Land reserved under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW Act) as national parks, historic sites, state conservation areas, regional parks, karst conservation reserves and Aboriginal areas are managed to protect their unique values and provide for sustainable visitor use and enjoyment. This includes the provision of visitor experiences and, where appropriate, the provision of visitor facilities including visitor accommodation.
Section 151 of the NPW Act provides for the grant of leases or licences within a reserve, including any new or existing buildings or structures. With the exception of nature reserves, the purposes for which a lease or licence may be granted are set out in s.151A.
Before granting a lease or licence the Minister must be satisfied of certain matters, which are detailed in s.151B. These include: the compatibility of the proposal with natural and cultural values; the sustainable and efficient use of natural resources, energy and water; and the appropriate form and scale of any new buildings or structures, or modifications to existing facilities.
There are three criteria which range from strategic decisions about the location of lease and licence proposals and potential effects on natural and cultural values, down to detailed consideration of resource and materials use.
- All proposals need to address criteria 1 and 2.
- Only proposals involving new buildings or structures, or modifications, will also need to respond to criterion 3.
The detailed matters for consideration under each criterion are included in Appendices A, B and C.
See also: Sustainability guidelines for visitor use and tourism in NSW national parks
Photo: Nielsen Park Kiosk, Shark Beach, Sydney Harbour National Park / B Peters/OEH
