Port Adelaide Enfield Council to introduce overnight parking controls in response to camping
Public urination and naked showering by overnight campers at beachside carparks has sparked one Adelaide council to introduce parking controls to curb the behaviour.
West & Beaches
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Complaints about public urination and naked showering have led Port Adelaide Enfield Council to bring in parking controls along the Semaphore foreshore.
Elected members voted at a council meeting on Tuesday night to bring in overnight “no parking” restrictions for foreshore carparks at Semaphore South.
In a bid to curb the issue of overnight foreshore camping, parking will not be allowed between 10pm and 5am in the carpark along The Esplanade, where the majority of illegal camping has taken place.
Mayor Claire Boan said it was a hard decision to make.
“We’ve been working hard to look at different ways of dealing with the issue, but it’s proven to be a really difficult exercise,” she said.
Ms Boan said some residents were positive about foreshore camping, as they believed extra people in the area at night added to community safety, while several others strongly opposed it.
Some of the complaints council have received include public urination and public showering – either naked or just in underwear.
Complaints have also been received about campers hanging clothes lines hanging between trees, pouring cooking oils into toilets, sinks and drains and leaving rubbish around vehicles.
There are also concerns about staff being unable to maintain lawn and garden beds due to vehicles blocking access.
The council report said backpackers, people in recreational vehicles and homeless people were the three types of camping typically seen along the foreshore.
The council was presented with three options for dealing with the issue.
The first option was to permit camping in one section of the coast, with only self-contained vehicles permitted.
A second option was to permit camping in three areas – at the Largs Bay Sailing Club carpark, Lady Gowrie Drive at Taperoo and Esplanade Semaphore South – with only self-contained vehicles permitted.
The third, and the choice of council, was to trial overnight no parking restrictions in areas where camping is occurring – namely the Esplanade at Semaphore South.
“The problem we could have is people just shifting from one place to somewhere else, so we’ll have to closely monitor the situation and encourage people to use our caravan parks,” Ms Boan said.
A report will brought back to council after 12 months outlining the impact and effectiveness of the parking controls