Shoalhaven City Council has "wasted people's time" on a vegetation vandalism strategy, according to Old Erowal Bay resident and President of the Jervis Bay Regional Alliance Oisin Sweeney.
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Mr Sweeney said the council had committed to developing a vegetation vandalism strategy after clashes between different community groups about trees on the Collingwood Beach dunes.
"Last Tuesday (March 5) the policy was presented to the development and environmental committee, and it was absolutely quashed," he said.
"Councillors moved that it not go out to public consultation, so they've effectively stalled it.
"That means the past two years have just been the use of process to circumvent community wants.
"People feel they have had their time wasted, as well as the issue of how much money council has spent on this issue. It's unbelievably frustrating."
Councillor Watson, who put an amendment that the policy go to a council workshop rather than go out for public consultation, said without the amendment, the policy would have been "thrown out".
"One of the councillors said they were concerned about part of the policy eliminating the mowing pf public reserves near waterways," he said.
"The other one was, there was an item in there about video surveillance. A number of the councillors expressed concern about that. There were a few other little bits and pieces. It was either move the amendment or have it thrown out.
"Rather than see the whole thing thrown out, I moved to have it go to a councillor workshop, and that would enable councillors to make some minor changes to it if they wish."
Mr Sweeney said while the council "sat on its hands", vandalism was getting worse.
"To be back to square one is unbelievably frustrating ... not to mention that the dune has been further degraded while all of this has gone on," he said.