Plans pitched for hotel campsite

Beaumont Hotel owner Alison Mills stands in the area behind the hotel she plans to develop into a camping ground. She is holding a petition that already has almost 250 signatures from people favouring a new road and bridge in front of the hotel, rather than behind it. Photo: Pam Jones.

The development would comprise a mix of 40 new, powered, tent and cabin sites on just over 1ha of land behind the hotel, Ms Mills said.

The new sites would add to existing ones to form a 70-lot campground — plus amenities and ablution blocks — which it was hoped would be completed within the next five years, she said.

Work on the development was scheduled to begin this summer, and the project would be done in stages, she said.

The larger camping ground would cater for increased numbers of tourists in the region, mainly coming from the Clutha Gold Trail, Ms Mills said.

The trail had also had an indirect positive effect on the profile of the Beaumont region. Visitors who were not cycling the trail were aware of it and interested in finding out more, she said.

There had also been an increase in permanent workers in the Beaumont region requiring accommodation, and both the tourism and rural sectors in the Beaumont region were performing well, Ms Mills said.

Resource consent from the Clutha District Council had already been gained for the project, which Ms Mills and her family had finally decided to do since buying the freehold title for the hotel a year ago. Before that she had been leasing the hotel, since 2010.

She said she was excited about the potential of the Beaumont district, and pleased the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) had decided to develop a business case for a new road and bridge in front of the hotel. Earlier this month, the NZTA hosted a community meeting in Beaumont, where there was a clear preference for that route, rather than another alternative route behind the hotel.

"The road has been running in front of the hotel for 110 years. It would be stupid to change it," Ms Mills said.

She is gathering signatures for a petition on which bridge option people prefer. Almost 250 signatures have been collected, nearly all in favour of the route in front of the hotel.

Ms Mills expected the camping ground development would cost about $100,000. Her family would contribute most of the labour for the project.

"My husband is a engineer and my son is a builder and they’re both chefs as well. We’ll be able to work and eat at the same time."

pam.jones@odt.co.nz