Warrington residents have started a petition calling for an end to non-self-contained freedom camping at the Warrington Domain.
More than 10,000 freedom campers parked at the domain from February to April, rendering it unusable to residents and leaving it a muddy bog.
Warrington resident Rhys Owen made an impassioned plea to the Dunedin City Council's planning and regulatory committee last week to return the domain to residents by ending non-self-contained freedom camping.
On occasion, more than 100 vehicles a night parked at the domain, Mr Owen said.
He and other residents have begun a petition not to allow vehicles without toilet and wash water facilities.
As of last night, 179 people had signed the petition, a result he described as "amazing''.
"We only have about 183 houses in Warrington with people living in them,'' he said.
"It's a huge proportion of the community.''
He and many others "could cope'' with caravan users parking on the domain as it was "the people sleeping in the backs of their car'' causing issues.
"Nobody wants the return of up to 100 vehicles in the reserve again,'' he said.
The signatories of the petition have in many cases offered comments along with their signature, pointing to the issues faced by the community since the introduction of the council's bylaw limiting non-self-contained freedom camping to the Warrington Domain and Ocean View Recreation Reserve.
"I have spent the summer with rubber gloves and a supermarket bag going around the domain daily picking up human faeces and the non-biodegradable women's feminine wipes strewn through the bushes,'' one signatory said.
And another said, "The waste being dumped under trees is a health hazard and little kids play in these areas - it's a no-brainer.''
Council parks and recreation group manager Richard Saunders said the council was aware the issue had "divided'' opinion in the community, but there was no intention to review the bylaw and ban non-self-contained vehicles from the domain.
"We knew the demand was there, but that number [of vehicles using the domain] was very high and we would acknowledge that we weren't prepared for that,'' he said of the issues the community faced over the past summer.
"I think that if it's managed well and the right infrastructure is there, that's what we are working towards considering the bylaw.
"We have got to get that mixture of planning and infrastructure right.''
The council was reviewing the toilets and amenities available at both areas and had planned to put more facilities in place by next summer.
It was hoped the improvements to facilities would allow the domain to cope with future demand, he said.
He was unaware of the petition and therefore unwilling to comment on it and its aims.
Mr Owen said the petition would be presented to the city council once it garnered 200 signatures.
