Cr Greg Watson says the temple proposal may never come to fruition because of state government insistence the property remains all under the one ownership title.

“The area desperately needs a new tourist attraction like the Shaolin temple,” Cr Greg Watson said.

“But I’m bitterly disappointed with the antics of the last state government and the present state government in pursuing a strategy called the South Coast Strategy, which says we can’t have any new towns or villages as a result of that strategy.

“It may well be that the Shaolin temple project, even with an approval, will never fly, which would cost the area dearly.

“And the reason it won’t fly and something the average person in the community wouldn’t know is that the state government is insisting the property stays in one ownership.

“That means the 350-odd dwellings planned for the location also have to stay in one ownership, as well as the hotel and the Buddhist temple.

“The only reason you would create 350 new dwellings on that site would be to offset some of the investment costs.”

He said if the property had to be left in the one ownership attracting investors would be difficult.

“There will also be issues of how to establish a religious sanctuary on the same parcels of land that a hotel is located which serve alcohol and may potentially have poker machines?

“This is some of the stuff that hasn’t come out.”