Public outcry leads to U-turn on freedom camping plans

Queenstown Lakes District council has made an 11th-hour U-turn on plans to turn a recreation reserve, beside the Arrow River, into a freedom camping hub this summer following a public outcry.

Last night the council announced new freedom camping sites are to be established at Red Bridge, near Luggate, and the State Highway 6 layby, near Kingston, from mid-November until late March.

They are part of plans detailed in a new responsible camping strategy, to be considered by the council at its full meeting in Queenstown today.

Whitechapel Rd residents were notified late last week of the council's intention to also establish a site at the Whitechapel Flat Recreation Reserve.

However, late yesterday afternoon the council emailed residents to inform them they would ''not be progressing'' that proposal.

Freedom camping on the site, which intersects with the Queenstown Trail and Arrow River Bridges Ride, is permitted under its existing reserve management plan.

The council had planned to allow certified, self-contained camper vans to stay a maximum of two nights there, as will be the case near Kingston and Luggate.

Two day-time ''service hubs'' are also being established - one behind Pak'n Save at Frankton and the other on Ballantyne Rd in Wanaka - providing toilets, rubbish disposal, dump stations and Wi-Fi, with a maximum use of two hours.

However, the Whitechapel reserve temporary camp site plans were not supported by residents and users of the reserve.

Arrowtown Village Association chairman Noel Beggs said he was informed of the proposal by a Whitechapel Rd resident over the weekend and the association sought feedback from the wider community on Tuesday morning.

''Given the very short space of time ... we've had quite a significant number of comments come back.''

While only a handful of residents lived in the immediate area, the concerns were ''wider than that''.

They included potential ramifications for hang-glider and paraglider pilots who are understood to use the reserve occasionally, the trails network, Arrow River and road safety.

The Whitechapel Rd turn-off is between the Arrow Junction/McDonnell Rd intersection and intersection of State Highway 6 and Crown Range Rd - the latter is one of the NZ Transport Agency's most dangerous intersections in the district.

Mr Beggs said another issue raised had been the ''short, or no consultation time''.

A public meeting had been planned at the site tonight, however, late yesterday afternoon the council did an about face.

An email sent to Whitechapel Rd residents said the council received $530,000 from the Tourism Facilities Development Fund, announced in August, for camper education and ''trailling further initiatives''.

''The concept was to provide dedicated facilities and further education for visitors to make sure they're staying in appropriate places and treating our environment with respect, and stronger enforcement for those that are not.

''Work is ongoing to determine another appropriate site,'' the email said.

tracey.roxburgh@odt.co.nz