Overnight campers' action

My local Councillor told me that the cost of providing overnight parking would be £120,000. That is the cost of minor road improvements such as marking out the area, the modest cost of policing given that some motorhomers have a habit of absconding without paying for an overnight stay, but the biggest cost is the provision and maintenance of parking meters and signage. I know one Derbyshire Council who couldn't afford to increase car parking fees this year because the new signage would cost £45,000 [it is lumbered with numerous small car parks]. 

We have active Nimbies who don't want their view blocked by motorhomes and unfounded allegations of inappropriate motorhome behaviour which puts at risk our blue flags.

It's the upfront cost that puts off Councils from providing overnight parking for motorhomes. Some Council's will use their Tourism budget and some will get help from the Government. The majority would just have to stump up the full cost. Our Council is looking to get a private firm to develop and run an overnight parking scheme but so far there has been no interest. The lack of interest from the private sector to a supportive Council suggests that there is no easy profit to be made.

Why would you call someone who has probably paid a premium price to have a view a Nimby that is then blocked by a big white boxes for hours or days if they can get away with it with the waste running away as noted last week at Cromer (parked every day we passed)

actually CY the area in question takes in the seafront from Lee on the Solent down to the meon shore, which is all FOC parking, which as i stated is cherished by locals especially during the winter months when you can meander down perhaps take a short stroll and then have lunch in your car, to introduce any sort of charging for Mh's would put this perk in jeopardy, because as has been alluded to above some seem to think that because they pay road tax they have the right to park a 7mtr MH just about anywhere, and if they have to pay we all pay. Also some of the monetary figures quoted above do not take into account the costs of putting in place charging facilities or quite probably a human wage to manage the collection of monies cleaning of facilities etc. I am not anti MH's per say, but when someone in a 7mtr motor home occupying 2 FREE and i stress FREE bays threatens to put my lights out when i politely ask him to free up just 1 of the bays by moving his camping stove and chairs, I do get angry, his camping gear nearly ended up on the beach. Also I should add that MH's are not specifically banned from parking in the free areas but the signs do say no camping of overnight habitation, but do they take heed, I think not        

We have used one overnight MH stop, and know of another which is very well used. We stopped in middle of Stratford upon Avon, by Leisure Centre, a few years ago now. It is an existing car park, has bays large enough for coaches. Cost us £2 overnight, was quiet, safe, even had a decent dog walk. Cost nothing to provide, all that was required was the Council will to let MHs overnight. Same with other one, Helmsley allows a small number of overnight stays in coach park near Castle. Again, nothing to provide, already there. Adjacent to town, quiet, decent dog walk again. It can be done, just needs those in power to grant usage.

I do have certain sympathies with coastal resorts. It’s not attractive seeing lines of big tall vehicles day after day nose to tail on esplanades. The stretch of roadway at Longrock overlooking St Michaels Mount used to be nothing but foreign MHs from May to September a few years ago, most of them not moving for days on end. But let them use car parks overnight when it’s quiet, hurts no one. Overnight stops aren’t really an issue, it’s those that pull up and stay the week for free that seriously annoys local residents.

much as we like to think so, I'm not sure (in law?) any of us has a right to a view....buildings are erected blocking the previously lovely view from a property further back....if permission is given for development, hard cheese...

similarly, with seafront hotels...they (and we) are subject to those rules and permissions...if daytime parking is allowed, surely to ban MHs is discriminatory?

if a council wants to move the MH parking away from a particular area then can't those MH use the spaces that the cars which formerly couldn't get onto the seafront used?....ie spaces in regular carparks.

im happy to park on the street but am similarly fine with paying for a car (MH) parking space, provided it isn't a rip off. no other special facilities required for day parking.

so, i pay, my van isn't on the seafront, residents happier?....

however, just the outright banning of MHs seems to be today's knee jerk reaction...

my big beef is with the (general) non allowance of MHs in city P&R, if ever there was a good way of providing parking for larger vehicles without the potential impact on town/city centres its P&R.

we have a great one on our route into Bath, lovely for a stop off heading north.....ah, two huge parking areas but height barriers on both.

now I know that there are other similar facilities around Bath but not on our route, which makes it a longer diversion.....so why some and not all out of town facs run by (presumably) same authority?

there is always one reason given and that is the potential misuse by 'travellers' and the worry of clean up costs.....

so, let's get the law changed to make deliberate trespass a criminal offence where offenders can be removed instantly without the lengthy and costly exercise we have currently...

isnt this better than withdrawing a provision to the majority just to deal with a few who have no respect for others and their property?

as with all these debates, the many who park sensibly and treat places with respect are hounded as they are seen (by association?) to be of that ilk?

I am sure peedee you are 1 of the responsible MH owners, and i am sure you enjoy touring abroad as i do, however , i was in the Mazarron area early this year and the Spanish police were having a crack down on wild camping, and I am not surprised, some of the areas used for this activity are left in a disgusting state, not all Brits I know but in the main MH owners.   

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Rufs, I agree that they will mainly be MH owners as (despite some views to the contrary) MH touring, especially overseas, isn't caravan touring...

the system is set up differently there, and ass DD says, provision is readily available for impromptu MH travel (no caravans on authorised Aires) with thousands of authorised stopping places and many, many more 'open' parking areas where MH are not singled out for exclusion.

so, MH travel (and stopping/overnighting) is just so easy...

having said that, it doesn't mean I'm happy to see folk (in any vehicle) abusing facilities or countryside...

the thing is, there are so many Aires with toilet dumping facs it shouldn't be difficult to use them....even if folk are parking up in other allowable places without such facs, it's usually a short distance to the nearest aire to dump and collect fresh water....

i guess it's only natural that (provided such parking is allowed) folk with go anywhere vehicles like MHs are going to choose attactive places over dull ones....

this isssue seems to be that the authorities are happy for them to park in dull places but object to them staying at the nice ones.....

But in this senario you would be speaking from experience,  having an opinion would be absolutely justified but hopefully you would not tarnish all MHers with that same toilet brush. Trouble is many do and then have opinions way beyond their understanding and experience. Sometimes even making decisions which directly effect others.

Exactly right BB they can park in unattractive areas, but I for one, as a local tax paying resident, don’t want them on our seafront