The application to legalise the camping ground's facilities follows an interim decision from the Environment Court on October 27 which directed the company that operates the camping ground, Equipment Support Ltd (owned by Allan Jones), to seek consent.
That follows more than 15 years of argument, both at a council and Environment Court level, between Mr Jones, camping ground neighbours and the council over whether it is legal.
The two-day hearing in October before the court was to request an abatement notice, served by the council on Mr Jones last year to stop the camping ground operating, should be lifted.
Judge Gordon Whiting, with the agreement of the council, Mr Jones and other parties, amended the abatement notice by ordering the camp to cease operating, except for five camping sites out of the 30 it advertises.
Judge Whiting directed Mr Jones to file with the council an amended resource consent application to operate the camping ground, and the council to publicly notify it for submissions 10 working days after receiving it.
Today, the council has advertised the application, with submissions closing on Monday, December 12, at 5pm.
The application is to establish and operate visitor accommodation on the 1.22ha site on the south side of the Kakanui River next to Waianakarua Rd involving constructing an A-frame building with one bedroom and a mezzanine shed; converting an existing garage into an ablution block; constructing two one-bedroom cabins, providing 20 or 30 powered and unpowered sites; vehicle access off Waianakarua Rd for no more than 20 sites and vehicle access off River Rd (subject to roading improvements) for 21 to 30 sites; erecting a sign on Waianakarua Rd; and site landscaping. Most of that is already on the site.
The development would be staged, with stage 1 limited to 20 powered and unpowered campervan, caravan or tent sites, vehicle movements to and from Waianakarua Rd being monitored. If there are more than 80 movements a day, the site would be closed to any additional campers.
Stage 2 would enable up to 30 powered and unpowered sites, but only after access to River Rd was available following upgrading of intersections at Harbour Tce and Waianakarua Rd to the council's satisfaction.
Once submissions had been received, the council was directed by Judge Whiting to reach a determination "as soon as possible".
