Gore District Mayor Ben Bell says more stringent leases in the future will help prevent a repeat of the issues surrounding the closure of the Gore Motor Camp last month.
Mr Bell confirmed a payout was recently made by the council to the camp ground’s leaseholder, Nicholas Owens.
Mr Bell could not confirm the amount, due to a confidentiality agreement between the two parties.
He said the settlement was preferable to a court battle, with council choosing instead to close the chapter and move forward.
"It’s a confidential settlement.
"You’re weighing up the difference between it and a lengthy legal battle, which may have left those residents in the poor conditions which they were in.
"I think this is the best outcome for both sides and also for the community."
Mr Bell said the legal costs of a simple court case would have cost council more than $100,000 and might have easily cost more if it dragged on.
Mr Bell said he was now more confident in the council’s ability to negotiate better deals.
He said there were issues with the lease agreement in its iteration which had caused the prolonged dispute.
"It was written a very long time ago and largely hadn’t been updated."
"That’s not the usual practice we take any more towards leases."
"But we wouldn’t sign leases like that in that capacity these days.
"They would be a lot more stringent," he said.
The motor camp’s housing units are unused but are being maintained by the council, along with the grounds.
Mr Bell said there were no discussions around the sale of the campgrounds just yet, as it was a reserve space, but he was not ruling it out.
"We are looking at reserves over time and reassessing.
"We would need to consult the community to remove the reserve status and undertake that process before we even consider selling.
"[We] have no plans at this stage other than making sure the reserves are in good condition, the grass is mowed, buildings locked up and not vandalised.
"Just making it a nice place people can wander through and enjoy the space, as it’s intended," Mr Bell said.
