Owaka residents Jenny Kinley and Trevor Hewson are concerned about misuse of a new freedom camping site in the town during peak season this summer. Photo / Richard Davison
Owaka residents Jenny Kinley and Trevor Hewson are concerned about misuse of a new freedom camping site in the town during peak season this summer. Photo / Richard Davison
Residents say they remain "angry" and "afraid" about possible consequences of a trial freedom camping site in Owaka, opened recently in the teeth of local opposition.
The eight-berth self-contained camper van site on Inn St, behind the Catlins Inn, was opened by the Clutha District Council at Labour Weekend, despitea series of recent community meetings at which neighbours and local accommodation providers objected strongly.
Since it opened, Owaka motel owner Trevor Hewson had been monitoring activity at the site, and at the area's DoC and commercial campsites.
"I've seen as many as five vehicles using it so far, and a total of two that looked like they were unlikely to be self-contained. There was also a commercial ute parked there one night.
"On the night there were five here, there were a total of four at commercial campgrounds locally. So you could argue that's five customers lost to local business as a result."
Owaka resident Jenny Kinley, whose son and family live opposite the new site, said people remained "angry" about the "invisible" council consultation process.
She said many now feared the consequences of freedom camping seeming to be "encouraged" in the town.
"We're terribly afraid that when it gets cranking it will be chaos. Already it was very noisy on Saturday night when I visited my son, and even with relatively small numbers of visitors there are signs traffic, litter and general behaviour could be a problem."
