Flooding concerns over planned freedom camping site for Auckland's North Shore
Sunday, 2 December 2018
A flood-prone reserve and a car park next to a motorway on-ramp are among proposed freedom camping sites branded 'unsuitable' by a local board.
Auckland Council is consulting on plans for 94 sites for self-contained campers who had a toilet on board, 13 sites for non self-contained camping and 315 sites which would ban all freedom campers.
Chairwoman of the council's regulatory committee, Linda Cooper, said the proposed sites would provide enough places to meet the demand for freedom camping spots, while also minimising the negative impacts, such as overcrowding, that frustrated some communities.
However, Kaipātiki Local Board members have questioned some planned sites on the North Shore.
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'I take issue with councillors encroaching on local board jurisdiction by nominating freedom camping sites in local parks against the wishes of local boards,' chairman John Gillon said.
Of the 21 local boards in Auckland, Kaipātiki Local Board raised the most concerns to the council.
Of most concern to Gillon was plans for up to six non-self contained vehicles to be allowed in the northern car park of Little Shoal Bay Reserve, between Dudding Park and the bowling club, for up to 48 hours at a time.
The site regularly flooded during storms and king tides and the Kaipātiki Local Board viewed it as an unsuitable site for that reason.
'We passed a resolution to not include Little Shoal Bay as a freedom camping site due to the safety issues and legal easement for the bowling club,' Gillon said.
'Councillors have ignored that.'
Despite Gillon's concerns, the car park was already frequented by people sleeping in vehicles for weeks at a time.
Under the planned bylaw, vehicles would be able to park for up to two days in the same spot within a four week period.
Anyone floating the rules could get a formal warning, a $200 fine, seizure of equipment or a court order.
In a Stuff opinion piece, Cooper wrote that the current law of the land governing freedom camping didn't allow Auckland Council to simply ban every freedom camper from every beautiful spot in the region and then put them behind buildings out of sight.
The new bylaw was due to be in place before summer but delays mean current rules under legacy bylaws, which prohibit freedom camping except in designated places, will continue.
However, under these bylaws, council's senior compliance officer Andrew Simon Pickering responded to complaints from a resident about campers at Little Shoal Bay saying it was 'tricky' to police.
'Camping is banned from all reserves under the Reserves Act 1977, so following the consultation period, the Governing Body will need to exercise its delegation from the Minister of Conservation to overturn this and allow freedom camping in any reserve,' Gillon said.
Other areas the local board did not approve but the regulatory committee endorsed for self-contained vehicles included Mahara Ave car park in Birkenhead War Memorial Park, and the Northcote Rd car park at A F Thomas Park, next to the Northern Motorway.
'Both of these car parks are full most days and the latter does not have a public toilet,' Gillon said.
People can have their say on the plans from December 3 until February 18.