Earlier this week, Environment Minister John Young published a response to a petition calling for a number of designated sites to be established across Jersey where local people can camp for free for up to 48 hours.
The response said that the relevant minsters and Constables would review how to manage the Le Port site in St Ouen’s Bay, which is used by a large number of campervan users, before next summer.
It added that current regulations were not designed do deal with local people’s demand for short-stay camping outside of designated sites. Concerns have been raised that too many motorhome owners are now using the site at Le Port, which is not officially authorised.
Paul Hymas, a spokesman for the Le Port community who lodged the petition, said that he believed everyone’s views on how camping should be regulated in Jersey needed to be heard as part of the review.
‘Overall, I’m pretty happy so far with the response. I think a few people will be unhappy with any kind of change but if it makes things better for everyone and the environment then that’s got to be a good thing in the long run,’ he said.
‘There’s a lot of support [for the petition], so I’m hoping any changes made will be for the better. The last thing anyone wants is for any bad decisions to be made and we have to go through this all over again.
‘I suggest the only way forward would be to have a public meeting so everyone can have a say.’
Deputy Young’s response stated that stakeholders and the community would be consulted.
