Plans to develop more sites for campers are back on the agenda, with the Constables’ Committee due to discuss the issue at their next monthly meeting.
Recently, Senator Steve Pallett said that the matter ‘needs to move on’ after successfully lodging a proposition two years ago calling for new sites for campervans to be trialled under a regulated system, following a clampdown at Le Port in St Ouen’s Bay, which had become over-used.
Nigel Godfrey, operating director at Randalls, said that the company had considered allowing some of its car parks to be used before the pandemic struck and would be happy to ‘revisit’ the idea.
‘A few of our outlets have decent-size car parks. A good example would be the Portelet Inn,’ he said.
‘You could have two or three vans park there, with maybe six people. They could use the pub, have a couple of beers, have something to eat and sleep in their campervan.
‘For us it would go hand in hand with providing them somewhere to park and the use of our facilities. We wouldn’t have an issue with them parking overnight.
‘We’d need to speak to the Jersey Camping and Caravanning Club. Because of the pandemic I think everything got shut down but it’s something we’re interested in pursuing and we’d be happy to revisit it.’
St Peter Constable Richard Vibert said that he was ‘supportive of camping reform’ and agreed with Senator Pallett’s view that multiple ‘suitable’ sites should be found. He added, however, that the Constables’ Committee were still awaiting a presentation on reforms proposed by the Infrastructure Department.
‘The planned presentation of the draft report planned for March 2020 never took place, due to the onset of the Covid pandemic,’ he said.
‘The Constables received the presentation document but without the presentation itself there was no opportunity to discuss the contents or the numerous questions raised.
‘Questions were raised and chased but we have not received a response, which is understandable due to staff being redeployed because of the Covid pandemic.
‘The chairman of the Constables’ Committee advised me that the issue will be on our agenda at the March 2021 committee meeting in an effort to obtain those
answers and to commence the dialogue that we were unable to commence last year.’
Meanwhile, Janie Pinglaux, of the Jersey Camping and Caravanning Club, said that the club supported a better-regulated system for the use of campervans.
‘Le Port became a victim of its own success. It became incredibly popular and therefore got overcrowded and wasn’t sustainable,’ she said.
‘We do very much support freedom of choice and the opportunity for people to go to different places, just like you can do in England and Europe.
‘If you’ve got your own equipment on board – your own toilet, washing facilities and water collection tanks – you’re not leaving anything in a car park.
‘We would really like to see this picked up again.
We understand that because of Covid things were delayed.’
