Camping Bylaw adopted

Nelson City Council has adopted the Camping Bylaw (No. 220) and it will be effective as of 20 May 2011.

Council received a total of 53 submissions to the draft Bylaw that was released for consultation in March. As a result of these and the research carried out during the summer trial of designated freedom camping sites, several changes were made to the draft bylaw and adopted by Council today.

Under the new bylaw Council will not provide any sites on Council land where self contained or non-self contained vehicles are permitted to camp overnight. They will instead be encouraged to use the various camping ground options available.

In conjunction with this change, a low cost option of $6 per person per night will be offered at the Maitai Valley Motor Camp with campers having the option of using the full range of camp ground services on a user pays basis.

Legislation coming before Parliament would give Council enforcement officers the ability to issue $200 instant fines for those not complying with the bylaw and a maximum fine of up $20,000 can be imposed.

Mayor Aldo Miccio says “We received a clear message from the bulk of the submissions we received. We don’t wish to discourage visitors from staying in Nelson but it has to be done safely and in a way that is fair to residents as well as our visitors. We believe the low cost – low service option that will be available at the Maitai Valley Motor Camp will meet the needs of travellers on a tight budget.”