Board has no issue with freedom campers

Mosgiel Taieri Community Board member Martin Dillon wants a bigger rubbish bin for freedom...
Mosgiel Taieri Community Board member Martin Dillon wants a bigger rubbish bin for freedom campers at the Three Mile Hill lookout. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
The Mosgiel Taieri Community Board has no issue with freedom campers but wants bigger rubbish bins at the Three Mile Hill lookout and Outram Glen.

Dunedin City Council parks, reserves and aquatics acting group manager Richard Saunders talked to the Mosgiel Taieri Community Board recently about formalising a freedom camping bylaw.

He wanted board members to highlight issues with freedom campers and wanted to know if board members wanted more sites to be available for freedom campers in the board's area or if it was happy with the status quo.

Board member Maurice Prendergast said he had never identified a problem with freedom campers in the board's region.

Board member Martin Dillon said a problem was the size of the rubbish bin at the Three Mile Hill lookout, where freedom campers with no toilet on board regularly parked.

''They park there overnight and the rubbish accumulates in that bin - it is quite a small bin.''

Member Blackie Catlow said bigger bins were needed at Outram Glen and litter in the area included broken glass.

''Bigger rubbish bins will be a bigger help,'' Mr Catlow said.

Mr Saunders said the bylaw would allow the council to dictate the ''dedicated spots with appropriate facilities'' where camper vans without toilets were allowed to stay.

The aim was to ''protect the environment and public health'', Mr Saunders said.

Mr Saunders asked if there was a place on the Taieri with suitable facilities and away from a residential area which the council could promote for freedom camping.

Mr Dillon and Mr Catlow suggested Puddle Alley.

Board chairman Bill Feather said he did not think freedom campers posed a problem for residents in the board's area and he was happy with the status quo.

''Why fix something that isn't broken?''

Mr Saunders said the draft freedom camping bylaw would be open to public consultation.

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