A PROTEST against the government’s lack of action to identify new campervan sites around the Island is due to be held next month.
The event is being organised by Paul Hymas, a spokesperson for the campervan community, who is hoping that the next Council of Ministers will work harder to provide overnight spots for those with large vehicles.
He said it had been almost three years since the States Assembly backed Senator Steve Pallett’s proposition for new sites to be investigated – after a crackdown on overnight stays in the popular Le Port parking area of St Ouen’s Bay. Mr Hymas said that meaningful options had not been put forward.
‘What does it say for democracy in the Island that a proposition was successfully passed years ago but nothing has been done to implement it? It is so frustrating, because the majority of the time you try to contact the ministers responsible, you get ignored,’ he said.
The protest is due to take place on 11 June, with the time and location yet to be finalised. Mr Hymas said he was hoping to drive a campervan convoy from St Peter’s Parish Hall down to Le Port.
‘It is a great time to do the protest, as we will be coming into summer and more and more people will want to bring their campervans down to the beach and spend the night down there,’ he said.
‘With the election coming up, we want the future Council of Ministers to take notice and to take action.’
The Islander said that he believed it ‘should not take long’ to identify appropriate sites for overnight campervan parking.
‘It really is not difficult. The government could find a number of spaces and then use the parking app to understand the level of usage and to identify any potential problems if an incident does happen,’ he said.
‘I would encourage anyone who wishes to get involved with the protest, or has had enough of the incompetency of the government, to do so.’
Senator Pallett said that he felt his proposition had been ignored by the government, who had ‘failed miserably’ to deliver a scheme for the campervan community.
‘I feel sorry for the community because they were promised a solution and nothing has been done,’ he said.
‘It is down to the next government and Infrastructure Minister to deliver on this. The community want to be responsible and they deserve sites with toilets and facilities which they can make use of.
‘There are a number of beautiful spots in the Island which could be safely used, but there has clearly not been the drive to get this done.’
At the end of last year, Nigel Godfrey, operating director of pub and restaurant chain Randalls, said the company had considered allowing some of its car parks to be used for overnight campervan stays.
He said that Randalls were still ‘very much open’ to the idea, but were yet to receive any feedback from the States on whether overnight parking at their properties would be allowed.
‘It is something we are keen to do and I think it would work for both campers and us alike. They could eat and have a few drinks at one of our restaurants and then stay the night in an allocated parking space,’ he said.
‘However, we are in the same boat as them because we have not heard from the government on the legalities of what we can or can’t do.’
