Call for feedback on freedom camping
Queen Charlotte Drive is a hot spot for freedom campers, according to the Marlborough District Council.
The council has announced a review of its freedom camping bylaws and asked people for their views.
Council reserves and amenities manager Rosie Bartlett said the bylaws had been on trial for a year and the council was going back to the public to gather feedback.
‘‘The more feedback we get, the better picture we get.’’
There had been 35 responses and Ms Bartlett was keen to get more by the February 25 deadline, she said.
‘‘There are two sides on the issue,’’ she said. ‘‘There are definitely people that want less areas, and to make it much more restrictive and also people who want it to be much more permissive and less restrictive.’’
Queen Charlotte Drive was a ‘‘hot spot’’ in the district with the most freedom campers moved on from there, Ms Bartlett said.
The road reserve was a prohibited area but there were often people trying to park there overnight. ‘‘ You get the ferry traffic just coming off and waiting to go on and it’s pretty beautiful there.’’
Some Picton residents complained about the deer park stop at Koromiko, she said.
A law passed in 2011 allowed freedom camping everywhere except prohibited sites.
Previously, freedom camping was banned everywhere except special sites.
Ms Bartlett said that Marlborough’s council had designated eight sites within the district for people to camp and was encouraging people to use them.