WA Camping & Caravanning Legislation Proposal

buffhunt said:

There are a lot of serious implications to the ordinary camper or even a person who has a relative over that want to stay more that three days ON THEIR OWN LAND!!
It is a means to control more and more what people do and the proponents say is to be driven by two key imperatives:
1 Safety and
2 Health concerns.
But it appears to be more driven by the need for local government to control and limit the rights of travellers and land owners and Revenue growth
EXAMPLE OF SOME IMPACTS OF THE CHANGES
Example of the ..see 5.2 of the document.
"5.2 Camping at a place other than an approved facility
It is a requirement under the Caravan Parks Act that a facility making available sites for accommodation vehicles and/or tents is approved; however,
there are circumstances where camping also occurs on land outside of a recognised facility (such as on private property).
Under the Caravan Parks Regulations, a person may camp for up to three nights in any period of 28 consecutive days on land with the approval of the owner.
To camp for longer than this period of time, approval must be sought.
Such approval can be granted by the local government for up to three months or the Minister for Local Government (the Minister) for longer than three months.
Options
(i) Status quo
Under this option, a person is allowed to camp on land outside of a holiday park or camping ground for three nights in any 28 day period if they have the approval of the land owner.
For periods greater than this length of stay, a local government may grant an application for up to three months, or for longer periods, the Minister may grant approval.
(ii) Local governments can grant unlimited approvals to the landowner to offer a campsite for an accommodation vehicle and/or
tent for up to three months at a time subject to appropriate consultation and risk assessment
Under this option, it is proposed that if a person wants to camp outside of an approved holiday park or camping ground (for example, on private property) for any period greater than three nights in any 28 days, approval can be sought from the local government. Approval will also be required if a landowner intends to make their property available to campers for more than three nights in any 28 day period.
This option is not intended to allow for multiple accommodation vehicles and/or tents to camp outside of holiday parks or camping grounds.
It is proposed that allowing more than one accommodation vehicle and/or tent on a site would require a different class of approval to operate –
this would be known as an event approval. This is discussed further at Section 7.
A local government will be able to grant an approval for up to three months at a time, subject to consultation with
any affected neighbours and a thorough risk assessment of the conditions. Consideration will also need to be given to the feasibility
of staying in an approved facility rather than camping outside of one.
Applications must be submitted by the landowner, who will need to prepare a simplified management plan to address basic health and safety concerns,
including access to water, waste management and reducing the environmental impact of the stay (refer to Section 8 for more information on management plans).
Applications will need to be accompanied by a fee to cover the administration and inspection cost involved.
It is proposed that local governments can grant unlimited renewals; however, each renewal will require a complete review of the circumstances.
If a local government refuses an application, the applicant will be able to appeal directly to the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT).
If this option is preferred, it is suggested that the following provisions are adopted:
· A person may camp for up to three nights in any 28 day period on land where the landowner has given permission
· A landowner may apply to the local government seeking approval for a person to camp longer than three nights but not more than three months.
This includes if the intention is to make their property available for more than three nights in any 28 day period
· Applications will need to be accompanied by a prescribed fee
· Only one accommodation vehicle and/or tent is allowed on the property at any time without an event approval
· A local government must consult with the affected neighbours, consider the health and safety of users, impact on the environment and feasibility of staying in an approved facility before an approval can be granted
· A local government can continue to renew an approval; however, a full assessment is required with each renewal
· A management plan must be submitted with each application which addresses basic health and safety concerns, including waste management and access to water, and
· If a local government refuses an application, the applicant can appeal to the SAT.
and 5.3

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