Dunedin City Council parks and recreation planner Stephen Hogg’s season-end report to the Dunedin City Council says the council’s freedom camping ‘‘community rangers’’ recorded a 22% increase in freedom campers from November to February compared with the past camping season.
But the report, due to be considered at Monday’s full council meeting, also notes a 35% decrease in March numbers compared with March last year.
When the Covid-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown hit, and subsequently in Level 3, the council’s freedom camping sites were closed to meet Ministry of Health requirements.
The report says freedom campers’ daily spending in the city increased 73% from last year, from $49.60 to $85.94 per person, per day, though that might have been due to annual survey participants being better informed in 2019-20 of the Dunedin district boundary and reporting expenditure that might have been considered ‘‘outside Dunedin’’ the previous year.
A total of 21,661 freedom camping vehicles were counted during nightly patrols, down from 26,132 vehicles counted the season before.
Of these vehicles, 64% stayed at an unrestricted site - the Warrington Domain, Thomas Burns trial site or Ocean View Reserve - and 62% had a self-containment certificate.
Campers staying in certified self-contained vehicles spent 52% more per person per day and stayed 38% longer than others.
The draft amended camping control bylaw 2015 has been out for public consultation and the council’s bylaw subcommittee will meet on October 1 to hear those wishing to speak on their submissions.
The proposed amendment includes the Thomas Burns St site as a permanent unrestricted freedom camping site.
