Mosman residents call for crackdown on overnight camping at Balmoral, beachfront streets

Noise, rubbish and illegal parking are among concerns raised by residents in response to an increase in out-of-towners parking their vehicles overnight at popular beachside spots.

Mosman residents are calling for a crackdown on overnight campers freeloading on the region’s picture-perfect public beachfront areas.

Noise, rubbish and illegal parking are among concerns raised by residents in response to an increase in out-of-towners parking their vehicles overnight at popular locations including Balmoral and Chinaman’s Beach.

Mosman councillor Roy Bendall, speaking as a local resident, said there has been an increase in camper activity in recent weeks with vans parked outside homes, in beachside foreshore areas as well as visitors sleeping on beaches.

“It’s getting out of hand and I know it’s a difficult thing to deal with because it happens overnight when we don't have rangers on shift,” he said.

“But I’m getting asked about it all the time because they’re taking up valuable real estate and it’s driving everybody mad.”

A photo of what is understood to be a van parked overnight in the region’s beachfront areas.

Mosman councillor Roy Bendall.

The concerns about overnight campers have also been raised during consultation on a new Mosman Council policy which is assessing the management of local open spaces.

Residents have called for increased patrols by council rangers during night-time periods.

Council staff have told a public council meeting that a crackdown on campers would be challenging due to the varying circumstances about why people camp overnight.

Balmoral Beach has been named an area of concern by residents.

Mosman Council in a statement said it has received reports regarding a small number of vehicles at Balmoral which are being “managed on a case-by-case basis”.

“Council regularly maintains the amenity of popular recreational destinations, which are predominantly frequented by visitors during daylight hours,” a council spokesman said.

Mr Bendall said it was not clear why there has been an increase in campaign activity or if there was a direct correlation to a rise in homelessness across Sydney.

A photo of Chinaman’s Beach.

Figures by Mission Australia show homelessness has become a growing issue with the agency experiencing a 26 per cent increase in demand for its services over the past three years.

“We have hot showers at Balmoral and great facilities and it’s no wonder people are campaigning there,” Mr Bendall said.

“Some of the vans end up parked up in residential streets behind Balmoral, there are even people sleeping rough at the beach

“I don’t begrudge them, but I don’t like it when it’s people just on holiday and not contributing to the upkeep of the facilities.

“They come at night, often leave rubbish everywhere and it’s up to the council to have to clear it up.”

Mr Bendall had mixed thoughts about taking an overly heavy handed enforcement approach to curb the issue, such as introducing extra parking limits.

“If we start putting hourly parking we have an enforcement tool of policing it overnight and it also impacts the amenity of residents,” he said.

The reports of camping are not unique to Mosman with neighbouring Northern Beaches Council also reportedly experiencing an increase in campaign activity this summer.