TWO families who will lose their homes if the $60 million upgrade of Artie Smith Oval and Bomaderry Sporting Complex goes ahead do not want to sell their homes.
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The couples have rejected claims by Shoalhaven City Council they have a “pretty positive” attitude to selling their homes.
A media briefing gave the impression all four homeowners were all on board with the proposal.
The meeting was told two homeowners were keen to sell now, the other two in the long term.
Cambewarra Road residents Rod and Cathy Evans said the claims couldn’t be further from the truth.
Speaking from hospital, where Mr Evans is recovering after undergoing a full knee replacement, the couple say they “want to stay put” and support from the public for their predicament was growing.
“To say we are on board is just so wrong. It’s a crock of s..t - a lie,” Mrs Evans said.
“This is our house. Us on board? It’s the first we have heard of it.
“I don’t know where they [council] got that from.
“Of course we don’t want to sell.
We are not on board.
- Cathy Evans
“We have established our home here - we don’t have anywhere else to go. We don’t want to move.”
The couple said they have been told council could acquire the land for public use.
Council has released the Bomaderry/Nowra Regional Sports and Community Precinct Master Plan which includes a new synthetic athletics track, a leisure centre incorporating a 25 metre heated indoor pool, Shoalhaven Indoor Sports Centre and a community pavilion to provide medical, physiotherapy, health and educational facilities.
But four homes, the Bomaderry pool complex and Nowra Croquet Club facilities all have to make way.
“They [council] described it as an exciting proposal. I’m sure they wouldn’t see it that way if they were going to lose their home,” Mrs Evans said.
“It made me angry.
“We want to stay, as do at least one of our neighbours.”
The couple said apart from the council officer, who they had been dealing with throughout the initial process, they have had no other contact from the city.
“Apart from that officer giving us a copy of the masterplan, press release and minutes of the council meeting, we’ve heard nothing,” Mrs Evans said.
“No one has come near us.”
Mr Evans said he definitely sees how the proposal could benefit the community.
“But put yourselves in our shoes,” he said.
“How would you feel if this was your home?
“And you had no choice or way of fighting it.”
Mrs Evans said suggestions at the meeting that Rod, who was photographed in the Register’s initial story about the proposal, “didn’t even own the home” were “insulting”.
“There was no need for such a comment,” she said.
“Certainly Rod’s name is not on the paperwork but it is our house, we are a couple.
“We are both paying off the home. Whether his name is on the paperwork or not is irrelevant.”
Council has told the couple as well as paying market value for the property they would also “help out” with other expenses.
“We have been told council will give us an extra $10,000 to help with legal fees, stamp duty and removalists,” she said.
“With the money we will get, we will still have to pay out the house,” Mr Evans said.
“Sure we will have a good deposit for somewhere else but we will have to start all over again.
“Where are we going to find somewhere that is like this?
“Here we are in the middle of suburbia but it is isolated.
“We love this area. We don’t want to go.”
Another of the homeowners, who didn’t wished to be named, also said they don’t want to move.
“It’s not true at all that we are on board,” the home owner she said.
“We didn’t want to sell in first place.”
