Camping consultations closed

Our two camping consultations closed for submissions on Monday 19 October. One concerns some proposed amendments to our Freedom Camping Bylaw; the other is a proposed bylaw about camping on private property.

Due to the availability of elected members, some key dates have changed. Hearings will now be held on 12 November 2015 and Council will consider the final amendments for adoption on 9 December. Those submitters who indicated they wished to speak at a hearing will also be notified of this change.

Standards of Camping Bylaw

We received 48 submissions on the bylaw as well as some debate on our Facebook page.

TCDC first made a bylaw which regulated camping on private property in 1982 and the proposed Standards of Camping bylaw is the latest iteration of this.

This proposed bylaw is about making sure that anyone camping on private property has access to basic sanitation and does not pose a nuisance to neighbours - whether people are camping on a farm paddock or at a bach in one of our seaside towns.

It proposes rules on how close camping can be to the road or neighbouring properties, and sets minimum standards of sanitation for campers; for example, around how many toilets are required for a group of campers.

Freedom Camping Bylaw amendments

We received 130 submissions on the amendments to this bylaw.

The proposed amendments are very limited and apply to how seven sites across the District are classified in the bylaw. These sites are in Hikutaia, Thames, Te Puru, Port Charles, Matarangi, Opito Bay and Pauanui. The majority of the feedback received through submissions were on the proposals relating to sites at Opito Bay Road and Skippers Road Reserves at Opito Bay, and at Waterways Parade car parks in Pauanui.

Council is proposing to remove one site from the bylaw, introduce one site into the bylaw, change the classification on four of the sites and proposing to leave one classification the same.

In the nine months our Freedom Camping Bylaw has been operational, we've had positive feedback from campers, ratepayers and our staff about how freedom camping now works in the Coromandel. It is also clear from that feedback that some small changes should be made.

What happens next?

Hearings will now be held on Thursday 12 November, not Thursday 5 November as previously advertised. Those submitters who indicated they wish to speak to their submission will be heard by the Council's Judicial Committee at its 12 November meeting.

After the hearings, the Council will consider the bylaws for adoption at a meeting on Wednesday 9 December. If adopted, the Freedom Camping Bylaw amendments and the new Standards of Camping bylaw will take effect from 14 December, in time for the busy summer period.

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