Longer tenure for shacks in national parks
| Applications for longer tenure for shacks in national parks have now closed. For details about Crown land shacks visit the 'Longer tenure for shacks on Crown land' webpage. |
In 2020, lessees of shacks in national parks on a life-tenure or a fixed-term tenure lease for ‘Holiday Accommodation’ purposes, where this is no existing arrangement for longer tenure or relocation, were invited to apply for longer tenure for their shack site.
If an application is successful, 'longer tenure' would be granted in the form of a new long-term lease for a maximum of 30 years (including an initial 5-year term), provided that the conditions of the initial 5-year lease are met.
If the conditions of the lease are not met within 5 years, the lease will expire and longer tenure will not be granted.
The application process closed on 31 December 2021 and DEW is currently working through the assessment process for each application.
Guidelines
Detailed information to help applicants understand the application and assessment process and the requirements that need to be met are provided in the Retaining Shacks Guidelines (PDF 1MB).
Have questions? Before contacting us, you might want to look through our Frequently Asked Questions.
The assessment process
The process for applying for longer tenure for a shack in a national park is as follows:
Step | Process | Approximate Timeframes |
1 | Lessee completes and submits an application | From 23 November 2020 |
2 | Suitability assessment is undertaken by DEW. Minister for Environment and Water determines whether to grant initial 5-year lease | 10 to 14 weeks* |
3 | Applicant is advised of the outcome of their application | 1 to 2 weeks |
4 | Applicant accepts or rejects the ‘Offer to Lease’ | 12 weeks |
5 | Conveyancing process is actioned to:
| 8 to 12 weeks** |
6 | Lessee meets the terms and conditions of their lease and provides evidence to DEW | Up to 5 years |
7 | Conveyancing process is actioned for longer tenure | 12 to 16 weeks |
*The time taken to assess an application can be highly variable and depends on its complexity, degree of consultation required, and the number of lease applications being assessed.
** The time taken for the conveyancing process is an estimate only and assumes there are no complications on the lessee’s behalf with executing the documents.
Important notes:
- Submitting an application form and paying the non-refundable application fee does not guarantee that longer tenure will be granted.
- Applicants can withdraw their application at any point of the application process, prior to the surrender of their current lease and continue with their current arrangements.
Extra resources
To support you in preparing your application, you might like to read:
- Retaining Shacks Compliance Factsheet (PDF 0.2MB)
- Understanding your lease (PDF 0.3MB)
- Managing the risks natural hazards pose to your shack (PDF 0.3MB)
Shacks in national parks
Park management plan amendments
To enable longer tenure for shacks in national parks, amendments were made to the park management plans for the Coorong National Park, Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, Kellidie Bay Conservation Park and Little Dip Conservation Park.
The Park Management Plan Draft Amendments were released for public consultation for three months from December 2019, with 243 public submissions received and analysed and changes made to the draft amendments.
In accordance with Section 38 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, the amendments were adopted by the Minister for Environment and Water in October 2020.
