With demand for camping sites soaring, there are growing calls for the red tape around allowing camping on private land to be cut.
Last month, Gympie Regional Council in Queensland agreed to double the number of caravans or tents allowed on private blocks without a development application approval.
The proposed changes to the planning scheme effectively cleared the way for landowners to be able to boost their income by operating ‘mini tourist parks’ on their properties
The question now is how many – and to what extent – other local authorities will follow suit. Data from the UK would seem to indicate that such a move would lead to significant economic benefits to the rural economy.
The boom in pop-up campsites in Britain started in summer 2020 when the government temporarily extended the right to open them from 28 days to 56 days without applying for planning permission.
The change, which involved an aspect of planning legislation called permitted development rights (PDR), was enacted to help the power a post-Covid rural recovery.
According to figures from outdoor accommodation website, Pitchup.com, on-farm temporary campsites across the UK have generated nearly A$50 million over the past 12 months.
And it’s not just so-called ‘honey pot’ areas that have shared in the spoils, as poorer rural areas have also benefited from ‘staycation’ tourists.
According to Pitchup.com provider, A$19m was generated through pitch fees alone, with an extra A$5.5m being spent with campsite owners on firewood and farm produce.
But the Farming UK website reports that that lion’s share of the money – A$25m – was spent in local rural businesses including pubs, shops, and restaurants, throwing them a lifeline amid the pandemic.
Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com told Farming UK that one of the most positive results of the changes had been bringing tourism to areas of the UK that most needed a boost.
“Thanks to the 56-day ruling, lots of temporary campsites were set up in these areas and campers flooded in, generating a whole new income stream for local businesses in some of the UK’s less visited rural locations,” he said. “So, as well as being a shot in the arm for the rural economy as a whole, it has also helped ensure some poorer rural communities have shared in the gains.”
My daughter and son-in-law have a farm next to a National Park and often go out to the “huts” and find people camping there. It is a beautiful spot but insurance stops it being viable.
Pitchup in the UK is OK but the Caravan Club has over 4000 (likely much more nowadays) Certified Location campsites on farms plus 350+ caravan parks and hundreds of partner sites. ALL of their caravan parks are run by Volunteers whom are like caretakers and ‘may’ take money or check your online booking, cleaning is generally done by paid professionals. We stayed at both for a 10 month caravan holiday and the UK has farm stays well sorted including liability insurance, sites are inspected yearly for the minimum levels of requirements which for the most basic is simply a patch of grass or concrete right through to a toilet and shower, water and a dump site. Farms were limited to 5 caravans and there were moves to make this minimum number a few more. We stayed next to old castles, historic mansions, beautiful farms, etc. In comparison Australia is still in the stoneage. In Australia Pitchup has only an infant organisation, Farmstays here bugger all, Youcamp a few here and there. The Caravan Club in the UK has developed into a massive organisation (worth hundreds of millions$) because it gets totally involved in everything caravanning/motorhomes trying to fill every niche for camping. We could comfortably travel anywhere in the UK and around lunchtime grab the farmstays map and book and always have a farmstay sorted for that night. Could we ever get to this level of organisation and convenience?
Yes, I think campers/ caravaners should be allowed to stay on private lands without a permit for 90 days.
I think the idea has great merit. I am a land owner that would like to host campers but local & state government regulations along with public liability insurance issues seriously limits what I am legally allowed to do. It needs looking at by government departments especially due to the way our lives have changed with covid.
Public liability is the problem. If you are on someone else’s property & injure yourself you can hold them responsible. Which is ridiculous.
Yes most definately
Bring it on.
sounds like a great idea. A win win situation for all
Personally, after nearly six years of fulltime travel I think communities would be better served by providing a location for low or no cost camping where toilets and other facilities are provided thereby eliminating the threat to the environment. We have stayed at dozens of such camps over the rears and injected thousands of dollars in to the local economies. Some even have user pays showers and I believe some have user pays electricity, thereby negating any cost to the council. Allowing a dozen or two RV’s into a council park is no different than having them in unregulated private properties and at least they’ll have facilities instead of using soap in creeks and defecating behind bushes.
Spot on Les.
No cost private land with loos and showers is great for campers but whose going to clean up afterwards and disinfect every day…the private land owner. Surely that’s worth 20 bucks a night?Otherwise, stay off their land and find a council park with loos and see how long they’ll let you stay.
I’m for the country farmer doing it tough in these times too and generous enough to go through all the red tape to earn a few dollars.
I feel it is agreat idea. One that helps the farmer/land owner in good and bad times.
Most people I come across in my travels are responsible and law abiding citizans.
If a person owns a freehold block of land she/he should be free to do as they please. Tape of various colours costs the Australian public billions of dollars a year. Tape is created by unelected people who are paid with our money from taxes and who create more tape yearly to justify their employment..
Remove the hurdles like liability Ins, etc, by asking the camper to sign a waiver. or “enter at your own risk”.
The problem is liability and red tape, what Australia desperately needs is more unemployed bureaucrats!