John MacDonald: Hi-de-hi campers! Christchurch's campervan clanger

When I heard that a campervan park is going to be up and running in central Christchurch, near Latimer Square —possibly in time for this summer— my first thought was that I’m glad I haven’t spent more than $500,000 buying an apartment around there.

Not even the developer’s reassurances that campervan people aren’t “yahoo types” made me feel any more excited about it.

In fact, I think it’s the last place we want to see something like this. And I’m pointing the finger squarely at the council for giving this development resource consent.

Because just after I saw at the weekend that the council has failed to achieve its target of having 20,000 people living in the central city by this year, it’s gone and given out consent for a campervan park.

It’s not as if people who have bought apartments in the city aren’t having enough trouble as it is, finding more and more of the apartments around them being hired out as Airbnb accommodation.

If someone’s moved into the centre of town on the sell-job that they’re going to be living in this community of people all wanting to embrace the downtown lifestyle - they’re going to be feeling somewhat short changed, aren't they?

Especially people living near Lattier Square who are finding out today that there’s going to be a campervan park next door or down the road.

So the gist is the Christchurch City Council has given consent for this park with space for up to 25 campervans on Gloucester Street – where the Stonehurst Hotel used to be. That came down after the earthquakes, there was also a hostel there and a small campground back in the day.

The thing is though, that was then, and this is now.

And since the earthquakes, there’s been this big effort to get more people living in the centre of town.

The council set itself the target of having 20,000 people living in the CBD by this year. We found out over the weekend that hasn’t happened, and it’s pushed out the deadline another four years to 2028.

In the meantime, it’s giving the green light for this thing - where people will be able to take their campervans and stay for up to four weeks.

My opposition to it is based on a couple of things.

The first one is gut instinct or gut reaction. I just don’t buy this idea that just because you drive a campervan, it doesn’t mean you’re not going to be a pain in the backside to someone at some point.

Just because you’re a member of the motorhome association, it’s not going to make you any less self-entitled when you cruise into town. And, despite what the developer behind this project is saying today, there is no guarantee that someone driving a campervan is going to give two hoots about the people living there.  

So that’s my gut instinct telling me it’s a bad idea.

The other reason I’m opposed to it is that it flies completely in the face of what the council’s supposed to be hellbent on achieving for Christchurch.

It wants people living in the centre of town. It wants people opening their eyes and realising that the quarter acre section isn’t the be-all and end-all, and that you can have a pretty decent life living in an apartment and making the most of what the central city has to offer.

And a campervan park is completely at odds with the vision it’s been trying to sell since the quakes.

Talk about left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to The Canterbury Morning's Podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
When I heard this morning that a campervan park is
going to be up and running in the Central City
near Ladhamer Square, possibly in time for the summer, I
think probably in time for the summer. When I heard
about that, my first thought was, well, I'm glad I
haven't spent more than a half a million bucks buying
an apartment near the Not even the developers reassurances that

(00:35):
campervan people aren't quote Yahoo types. Not even those reassurances
made me feel any more excited about it or any
better about it. In fact, I think this is the
last place we want to see something like this. The
Central City is not the place for a campervan park.
And I'm pointing the fingers squarely at the council for

(00:59):
giving this development resource consent, because just after I saw
it the weekend that the council has failed to achieve
its target of having twenty thousand people living in the
Central City by this year. It's going to giving up
consent problem and campervan park. And it's not as if
it's not as if people who have bought apartments in

(01:20):
the city because they want to actually live in the
central city. It's not as if they aren't having enough
trouble as it is, finding more and more apartments around
them are being hired out as Airbnb accommodation. You know,
if someone's moved into the center of town on this
cell job, that they're going to be living in this

(01:41):
community of people all wanting to embrace the downtown lifestyle, lifestyle.
You know, if they've moved into town on the basis
of that cell job, well, they're going to be feeling
somewhat short changed, don't they, Especially people living near Ladamer
Square who are finding out today that there's going to
be a campervan park next door or run down the road,

(02:01):
just down the road. So the just is if you
haven't heard about it, the city council, So the Christian
City Council was given consent for this park with space
for up to twenty five campa vans on Gloucester Street
where the Stonehurst Hotel used to be that came down
after the quakes. There was also a hostel there apparently
I can't remember it, but there was a hostel there

(02:22):
and a small campground back in the day. Thing is, though,
that was fine then, but this is now and since
the earthquakes, there's been this bag effort. Hasn't there to
get more people living in the center of town in
a residence people living there? As I say, the council
set itself this target of having twenty thousand people living
in the CBD by this year, and we found out

(02:45):
at the weekend that that hasn't happened, and so it's
pushed out the deadline another four years to twenty twenty eight.
In the maintime, it's given the green light for this
thing where people will be able to take their camp
of vans and stay for up to four weeks. Now
my opposition to it, I want to find out what
your take on it is. But my oppositions based on
a couple of things. First one is gut instinct all

(03:05):
gut reaction. I just don't buy this idea that just
because you drive a campervan, it doesn't mean you're not
going to be a pain in the backside to someone
at some point. Just because you're a member of the
Motor Home Association, it's not going to make you any
less self entitled when your cruise into town, is it?
And despite what the developer behind this project is saying

(03:27):
today there is no guarantee that someone driving a camper
van is actually going to give two hurts about the
people living there. So that's my gut instinct telling me
it's a bad idea. The other reason I'm opposed to
it is that when I've touched on this already is
it flies completely. It flies completely in the face of

(03:47):
what the Council is supposed to be held bent on
achieving for christ Church. It wants people living in the
center of town. It wants people opening the rise and
realizing that the quarter acre section isn't the bee all
and end all, and that you can have a pretty
decent life living in an apartment and making the most
of what the central city has to offer. The keep
it is living in an apartment surrounded by other people

(04:10):
who want to live there for the same reasons, in
a campervan park. I'm sorry, it is completely at odds
with the vision the council has been trying to sell
since the earthquakes. Now, I know it's only twenty five campavans,
but yet again, talk about the left hand not knowing
what the right hand is doing.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
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