Rowdy teenage carpark parties are to be outlawed from Papamoa Domain after the Tauranga City Council agreed to a liquor ban and closing the access road.
Papamoa Police and the Papamoa Progressive Association lobbied the council to help them crack down on the parties which have created sleepless nights for campers
and broken glass for volunteers to clean up in the morning.
Yesterday, the council voted 5-4 to lock the domain at night, using chains across the road just past the entrance to the camping ground and next to the surf club pavilion.
Earlier in the meeting, the domain was one of a big list of city reserves recommended for permanent liquor bans.
A minority of councillors wanted to see how things worked using the liquor ban only.
Crs Rick Curach, Bill Grainger, Murray Guy and Catherine Stew opposed the closure and Crs Mike Baker, Greg Brownless, Bill Faulkner, Wayne Moultrie and David Stewart supported the chains.
Cr Curach urged trailing the ban before the council took the drastic step of chaining off a "precious" public area.
Cr Guy said he had been to the domain many times and had never seen evidence of boy racer activities, apart from one set of skid marks and a bit of graffiti on a sign.
Cr Stewart said Cr Guy needed to be there at first light to see the mess before it was cleaned up.
Sergeant Pakes said the domain carpark lent itself as a meeting place for youths in their cars because of the close proximity to a fast-food outlet and the design and layout of the reserve.
"The carpark is hidden from Papamoa Beach Rd, there is poor lighting and police are unable to assess the situation in terms of numbers until they have driven over the rise and down to the carpark.
"Over the past months there have been arrests for multiple offences including possession of an offensive weapon, tagging, disorderly behaviour and a stabbing."
The chains would also stop illegal overnight camping in the domain.
