At the council meeting on Tuesday night the majority of councillors voted not to enforce the deed.

Shoalhaven Mayor Joanna Gash told the ABC on Wednesday the buyback right was not something she believed council would have been likely to call in anyway.

“Why should council be able to purchase it back,” she asked.

“We don’t do that with any other developer.

 “We sold that land. We got a pretty fair price for it.

“Why would we want to purchase it back anyway?

“Councillors are entitled to change their mind on certain things and that’s obviously what happened,” she said.

Councillor Andrew Guile made no bones about the fact he thought it was an option the city should have kept.

“The Shaolin deal was dodgy from day one yet in the last Council we worked to build in some protections for Shoalhaven ratepayers with the introduction of a buy back option should the Chinese developers not fulfill the terms of their application and not build the temple.

“There were a number of options to protect ratepayers’ interests and Council has enthusiastically gone for one that doesn’t. We now have no way of ensuring that the Planning Assessment Commission approval for the temple, village and hotel complex will go ahead.

“The Shaolin can sell it off to the highest bidder with the now massive master plan approval for the site.

“Or they can sit on their asset and just wait now that we have given away all leverage over the site,” he said.

On social media councillor Amanda Findley made her frustration at the decision clear.

"I am shaking in white rage. Tonight Shoalhaven City Council decided to not pursue a deed over the Comberton Grange Land should Shaolin not be able or willing to build on the land," she wrote.

"This would have meant that council had the first right to purchase at the sale price . My rage is because one week ago they unanimously thought it was a great way forward and this week are unable to explain their change of mind.

"I don't normally feel this amount of rage but this has me boiling.

"Apparently they think this sale was a great deal that will never be repeated and that Comberton Grange is essentially a burden to the ratepayer.