A temporary exemption from district-wide camping-ground rules for users of Glendhu Bay Lakeside Holiday Park will be reviewed at the Queenstown Lakes District Council finance and corporate committee meeting today.
During the summer holiday period, several long-standing patrons of the Glendhu Bay camping ground took issue with increased costs associated with leaving their unoccupied caravans on camping sites.
The 2005 Camping Ground Strategy does not allow for long-term caravan storage on camping sites and requires caravans to be stored in specific areas when not in use for $2 a night or $700 a year, with a rebate for frequent users.
The objective is to prevent unoccupied caravans being left on prime sites for extended periods and becoming "semi-permanent structures".
Previously, campers at Glendhu Bay could store their unoccupied caravans on campsites for $2 per day, which was the pricing system used by the camping ground's former lessees, Herbie and Chris Illingworth.
The QLDC took over management of the camping ground in 2010 and the Illingworths' system was given a year's grace until July 1 last year, when the cost of leaving an unoccupied van on a campsite increased to $16 a night - the adult accommodation rate.
As part of a recent survey of the district's camp users, Glendhu Bay campers took their concerns about the cost increase to QLDC chief executive Debra Lawson and deputy mayor Lyal Cocks.
Ms Lawson subsequently made a special concession allowing them to pay the former $2-per-day rate as an interim measure "in order to maintain relations", council deputy chief executive and finance manager Stewart Burns said in his holiday parks financial policy and management report.
That concession was authorised for the period up to April 30 and the future of the storage charges will be considered by the finance and corporate committee today.
QLDC holiday parks manager Greg Hartshorne said in his report Glendhu Bay had been the "top performer" of the council's camping grounds in the past year.
Taking into account the number of sites that were out of order as a result of a $2 million upgrade of the water supply and wastewater systems, Glendhu Bay holiday park had come in "well ahead of budget".
Mr Burns said the expected gross revenue from the four holiday parks at Glendhu Bay, Wanaka, Arrowtown and Queenstown for the current financial year was $4.46 million, with Queenstown accounting for about 60% of that figure.
The combined net surplus before depreciation and interest was just over $1.29 million and after depreciation and interest was just over $400,000.
