JOHN STOKES
GUARDIAN MESSENGER
THE David-and-Goliath battle between suburban caravan park residents and the council that wants to evict them is all but over and they will be forced out within weeks.
Sixteen residents who have taken on Holdfast Bay Council for nearly 18 months over their eviction to make way for redevelopment of the Brighton Caravan Park have decided to withdraw a legal action which has grabbed national attention and drawn comparisons to the similar story of hit 1997 Australian film The Castle.
They are expected to be evicted by the end of July and it is understood they will receive no compensation, having refused an initial council offer of $8000 each. Ten other residents accepted the cash and did not join the legal action.
About 40 caravan park residents were told in January last year they had to go to make way for a $3 million redevelopment, which will include cabins, a pool and coastal pathway. Work was to have started last year, but was stalled by the legal fight.