LUCY CRAYMER
When is a caravan no longer a caravan?
That is the question being pondered by Central Hawke's Bay District councillors trying to resolve a spat over a 5.1m by 7.2m caravan at Pourerere Beach Camping Ground.
After a complaint about two "caravans" at the ground, the council must decide whether the
structures are, in fact, caravans and can be exempted from building consents. The camp is on a public reserve so only public buildings can be erected. Permanent awnings built by campers can be exempted by the council, but caravans are a different matter.
Council regulatory services manager John Glengarry said exemptions were not needed for caravans, as long as they were moveable; that is, they still had their tow bars and wheels attached.
Hastings couple Betty and Jim Judd attempted to get around the need for an exemption by building a large "caravan" that is the size of a conventional caravan and awning.
Mr Glengarry said the size of the Judds' "caravan" meant it did not qualify as a caravan and, therefore, was a building. He said Land Transport New Zealand defined a caravan as being no wider than 2.5m - half the width of the Judds'.
"If council was to consider this structure as being an acceptable form of modern caravan and awning substitute then it is likely that similar structures would be sought by other campers," Mr Glengarry said.
"Council would have difficulty in allowing this form of building on a public reserve."
Council chief executive officer John Freeman said the issue of public camping grounds was so complex that he would be encouraging the council to look at the big picture in an upcoming camping review.
"The way our coastal area is being used is constantly changing and the concept of public camping needs to be reviewed and may need to be redefined," Mr Freeman said.
"It's a debate affecting all of New Zealand, and this council and the CHB community need to have their say."
Mayor Tim Gilbertson said the traditional use of caravans and awnings was changing and the council were facing problems up and down the coast over the legal definition of a caravan.
The regulatory committee recommended that the council not decide the future of the Judds' caravan until the review was completed.
The matter will be discussed at a council meeting on May 11.
