Despite fears of a possible community backlash, a Queensland council is moving ahead with a plan to allow victims of the ongoing housing crisis to stay in caravans in the yards of friends or family.
Fraser Coast council has just approved a motion to amend a local law in order to enable homeowners or occupiers to let family or friends occupy a caravan in the backyard under certain conditions.
The Courier Mail reports that these conditions will include ensuring the caravan is in good working order and that only one caravan will be allowed per premises.
However, many concerns were raised about potential noise complaints in neighbourhoods. Councillors also discussed how effluent from waste holding tanks in caravans would be appropriately disposed of, but were told there were already laws in place surrounding waste disposal.
In a housing crisis, does it make perfect sense to allow people to sleep in caravans and motorhomes on other's properties. PIC: Cizza
The Courier Mail reports that councillor Zane O’Keefe said that, while he shared concerns about the housing crisis, the proposal could have ‘perverse community health outcomes’.
“I did a quick drive around the streets of my division in Urangan and recently found three caravans illegally parked on one street,” Mr O’Keefe said. “This proposal would be asking my community to bear even more than they’re already bearing … I can’t ask my neighbours to accept proposed local law changes that could potentially lead to caravans popping up in suburban backyards.”
He said that his community was already facing ‘acute neighbourhood fatigue’ with construction, development and roadworks changing the character of the streets.
The Courier Mail reports that the motion was moved by councillor Jade Wellings, who told the council that an amended local law would help those members in the community ‘in their time of need’.
“We have families sleeping in cars, or couch surfing who get up every morning to go to school and work … professionals like healthcare workers who would love to take a job here, but can’t find anywhere to live,” she said.
The motion passed by eight votes to three and the draft amended local law can now go to the state government and community for further consultation.
The draft local law will also not allow any commercial agreements between parties.
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If the council pays my home bills then they can bloody tell me what I can do in my own home, what a bunch of interfering idiots
Not a good idea. Extra noise and increased vehicle activity and parking especially in areas where the roads are already narrow
Lots of normal middle class people here…. we are not noisy. We appreciate that the situation is a huge one and that we are just caught up in the middle. As a teacher I have a normal quiet respectful lifestyle I’m a landlord who moved for work.
And why not, we sleep in caravans elsewhere
Fantastic Idea
Good idea, hope it catches on country wide. I did it for my daughter many years ago. She stayed in our van for 12 months, as we only have a 2 bed house, so it gave her privacy as well.
While I like the idea and most responsible Grey Nomads probably do too, the problem would be with those irresponsible few (and we know they’re out there) that would use it as an opportunity to put an old van on their property and utilise it as a source of income or a spare bedroom.
Thank God for them!! I’ve been suggesting to my friends that we ALL do it before things get worse.
I live in a caravan, that I’m doing Renovations on. It’s still cheaper to live there than my own place for all the extra costs.
I find it incredible that councils would ban people from sleeping in caravans on private property in the first place much less be so magnanimous as to “allow” it now! The only considerations would be health related in regard to sewage and grey water drainage which should be easily solved with cooperation between the caravan dweller and householder.
No doubt we have a housing crisis and many backyards would legally accomodate a Granny Flat type dwelling/Tiny house if the owners could afford to build it.
So if they can solve the toilet problem then a caravan is just altering the neighbours view which they have no legal right to anyway. Other issues like noise and parking would happen with couch surfing also. Maybe they have to put a expiry clause into the deal. Either legalise a extra dwelling under existing planning laws or you only get X months of caravan surfing.
People have been living in caravans in back yards and on footpaths in Gympie for years. One current councilor parks his 30+ ft. converted bus on the road in front of his house for months on end, although I don’t think he lives in it, so come to Gympie and you’ll have no problems with council.
Good on Cr Jade Wellings for being proactive, and getting a solution to the housing shortage over the line. It truely is a shame that more councillors everywhere dont take a page out of her book.
I would bet that Cr Zane O’Keefe has never had to sleep in a car to put a roof over his head. ” Acute neighbourhood fatigue” I am still rolling on the floor laughing at that.
It certainly makes sense to allow people struggling to be accommodated in this manner.
Why don’t councils amend their own holiday park rules to allow homeless to stay longer than 4 to 6 weeks in rental onsite caravans then no one would have to worry about their neighbourhoods because council owned caravan parks have the ablution and waste facilities to cope with this which definitely could become a real health issue if there was a caravan in everyone’s back yard being lived in.
I am a retiree grey nomad and I was tagged as being homeless by people I thought once were intelligent, because as soon as I retired this year I began a 3 month adventure staying in caravan parks in my Dome tent. It seems that holidaying in a tent in local council caravan parks between house and pet sitting roles makes people think you are homeless. Whatever has happened to AUSTRALIAN’S SENSE OF BEING ABLE TO ENJOY A SIMPLE RETIREMENT ADVENTURE,???.
The issue is so much larger than what the parks can contain even if they did this.
We are a nation of being over governed. I can’t understand why it should be council “consideration”.
People need somewhere to stay and if the owner of the property is willing to allow them to stay, then the council has no say . My home my choice.
Well I think it is a good temporary idea, to get us over this awful time of shortage of places to live. Let’s give it a couple of years to get over this time, but not make it permanent.
Fantastic idea to help those in dire need. Ignore the selfish and self serving opposition to this excellent proposal.
Too many over 50s women now homeless and the fastest growing homeless demographic in Australia…of couse a caravan IN A BACKYARD is not going to have a bad effect on a neighbourhood. It will be less than one a street imho.
Hi. Im fighting to be alloud to live in my moter home in my aged parents backyard in South Australia . The local council has said it’s okay to keep the motorhome there, but, its not okay to live in it. My parents are both in the 80s and I have moved back here so that I can help them in their final years It sickens me to be told that I can’t stay on their half acre property in order to do so. They need me there so I can help them with their gardening and with their transport to and froms appointments and help them with their personal day to day wellbeing. By living on their property I would be close enough in case an emergency happened whilst still giving them their privacy and maintaining my own. .The median rent price in Kapunda S.A.
is 350 pw. I can not afford to pay this much as my income is $750 a fortnight. And as far as caravans messing up the neighbourhood ,what about all the people that have Winnybagos and motorhomes in their backyard . Is it illegal to park your own recreational vehicle in your yard ? I just can’t understand what the problem is. So bottom line is even though I own my own motorhome, and my parents property is too big for them to manage they have plenty of room for a caravan, I’m not allowed to live in it, therefore ,I’m still homeless and my parents are desperate.
That’s just absurd. They should be thanking you for being willing to look after your ageing parents so that they can stay in their own home without govt. support thus saving the govt money. I cannot understand what the difference is between parking a van or motorhome in someone’s back yard & living in the same van. Grey water can safely be allowed to water the garden/lawns as many caravan parks do & toilet cassettes can be easily taken to a dump spot. I personally don’t see what’s wrong with emptying a cassette down a drain in one’s home but I’m sure someone here will let me know about that.