Consultation on the new Freedom Camping Bylaw is now open.
Feedback closes on Sunday 5 December.
Have your say here: https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/freedom-camping-bylaw
The proposed bylaw is a significant and radical change from the current rules, opening up almost all roads and council land (except reserve land) across Auckland to freedom camping. 🤦
Councillors have proposed only 45 individual sites across Auckland where freedom camping will be prohibited. They chose not to include any sites that Local Boards put forward to them (including the Kaipātiki sites listed below), and will not consider any new sites that come from public consultation until AFTER the bylaw is adopted, which I think is disgraceful. 😡
The proposed bylaw includes:
- allowing freedom camping in vehicles on all roads, except where there are already restrictions (yellow lines, time restrictions). This could also include carparks outside local shops, slip-roads, carparks servicing ferry wharves, etc, where they are within the road corridor.
- allowing freedom camping in vehicles on all council land, except reserves. This could include carparks at council facilities (libraries, leisure centres, community centres), parks that haven’t been gazetted as reserves, etc.
- allowing freedom campers to stay a maximum of two nights in the same road or off-road parking area, before they need to move to another road or parking area.
- requiring freedom campers to vacate their parking space by 9am on the day of departure.
- requiring freedom campers to not return to the same road or off-road parking area within a two-week period.
- requiring all freedom campers to use certified self-contained vehicles.
- specifying only 45 prohibited sites and 22 restricted sites across Auckland.
The Kaipatiki Local Board had asked for the following sites to be listed as prohibited in the proposal that is going out for consultation, but they were not accepted (feel free to include any of these in your feedback):
- The gravel carpark near the southern end of Colonial Road, Birkenhead (commonly assumed to be part of Chelsea Estate Heritage Park).
- The carparks at the end of Exmouth Road, Northcote (commonly assumed to be part of Heath Reserve).
- All marked carparks at the western end of Beach Haven Road in the vicinity of Beach Haven Wharf, and the access road to the wharf.
- All marked carparks at the southern end of Queen Street in the vicinity of Te Onewa (Northcote) Wharf.
- All marked carparks within the road corridor of College Road between Kilham Ave and Ernie Mays St, that form part of the wider south-western Northcote Town Centre carpark.
- All marked carparks at the Rawene Road carpark, Birkenhead.
- All carparks at the carpark behind the Sunnyhaven Ave shops that services the shops and Opaketai Beach Haven Gardens.
- All formed carparks designed to service neighbourhood shops and businesses, including (but not limited to):
• Birkdale Rd shops,
• Chartwell Rd shops,
• Chivalry Rd/Diana Rd shops,
• Glenfield Rd/Wairau Rd shops (portion of carpark),
• Levesque Rd shops,
• Manuka Rd shops,
• Moore St shops,
• Pupuke Rd shops,
• Rangatira Rd/ Lysander Cr shops,
• 71 Roseberry Ave,
• Salisbury Rd shops,
• Sunnybrae Rd shops,
• View Rd (western end) shops,
• View Rd (eastern end)/Wairau Rd shops (portion of carpark). - All slip roads within the road corridor that provide access to private properties, whether they are parallel to roads (for example on Glenfield Road) or across corners/intersections (for example corner of Sunset Rd/Target Rd; corner Mokoia Rd/Colonial Rd).
- All carparks servicing community centres/houses, libraries and leisure centres that are on parcels of land held under the Local Government Act, (but not limited to):
• Active Zone carpark (Lot 1 DP 94804);
• Bayview Community Centre (Lot 2 DP 79494);
• Birkdale Community Hall (Part Lot 55 DP 1675);
• Glenfield Leisure Centre (Lot 11 DP 65017, Lot 11 DP 65017, Lot 11 DP 65017, Lot 11 DP 65017, Lot 11 DP 65017);
• Glenfield Library (Part Lot 2 DP 49045, Part Lot 3 DP 49045, Part Lot 4 DP 49045, Part Lot 5 DP 49045);
• Highbury House (Pt Lot 12 Blk I DP 804, Lot 13 Blk I DP 804);
• Kaipatiki Community Facilities Trust (Lot 151 DP 49752);
• NorthArt (Allot 651 Psh of Takapuna);
• Northcote Library (Allot 652 Psh of Takapuna, Lot 1 DP 92328).
Example: Carpark within the road corridor
This is the gravel carpark on Colonial Road which passes through the middle of Chelsea Estate Heritage Park. It is already a known problem site for freedom campers, and yet it will be opened up to freedom camping under the proposal as it is within the road corridor.
Example: Manuka Road shops.
Just one of many examples of a carpark area that services local shops but is within the road corridor, and so under the proposed bylaw could be occupied by freedom campers for up to 48 hours at a time.
More examples are:
• Birkdale Rd shops,
• Chartwell Rd shops,
• Chivalry Rd/Diana Rd shops,
• Glenfield Rd/Wairau Rd shops (portion of carpark),
• Levesque Rd shops,
• Manuka Rd shops,
• Moore St shops,
• Pupuke Rd shops,
• Rangatira Rd/ Lysander Cr shops,
• 71 Roseberry Ave,
• Salisbury Rd shops,
• Sunnybrae Rd shops,
• View Rd (western end) shops,
• View Rd (eastern end)/Wairau Rd shops (portion of carpark).
Example: Beach Haven Wharf
Under the proposed bylaw, not only would the angle parking on Beach Haven Road that service the wharf be open to freedom campers for up to 48 hours, but so too would the accessway from the end of the “road” to the wharf. The neighbouring driveway to residential houses could also possibly be included, as this is also within the road corridor.
Example: Slip Roads
Narrow slip roads on both sides of Glenfield Road, that under the proposal could be occupied by freedom campers for up to 48 hours at a time, blocking access to driveways and in some cases causing personal safety concerns.
Example: Carparks within road corridor
This is one example of carpark that services a reserve being within the road corridor (in fact the middle part of Heath Reserve is within the road corridor). The proposed prohibition on freedom camping within reserves will not be able to stop freedom camping at this carpark