With native vegetation in Blayney Road Common and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park being classified as a Critically Endangered Ecological Community (CEEC) in 2020, Bathurst Regional Council had to come up with a plan to protect the vegetation while enabling the park to be used for camping.

The Bathurst and District Vietnam Veterans Association conducts camping activities over the Bathurst 1000 to generate income.

READ ALSO: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park proves to be a popular campsite

Council has been liaising with the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) to address the conflict of past use by the association and council's protection obligations.

The state government has confirmed that a vegetation management plan that controls the risks from camping within a CEEC site, together with existing permits that have been approved and issued to the Bathurst and District Vietnam Veterans Association, would be suitable control measures for council to successfully achieve its statutory obligations and allow camping to continue.

The vegetation plans for the Blayney Road Common and Browning Street Reserve are due for update.

Due to the significant importance that Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park has in relation to the protection of remnant vegetation across all three sites and the existing camping activities, council has proposed that the memorial park also be incorporated into the overall vegetation management plan of the critically endangered vegetation precinct.

The updating and consolidation of the three sites into one overall vegetation management plan will ensure that the delivery of management actions aligns with management areas that comprise Blayney Road Common and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park for the next five years.

Council will put the plan on public exhibition, allowing community members to provide commentary.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: