Falmouth camper van ban plan

3:30pm Monday 7th January 2013 in Falmouth/Penryn Photograph of the Author By Greg Fountain, Reporter/Photographer

Cornwall Council is proposing a ban on all motorhomes and camper vans parking overnight in a Falmouth car park.

The council owned Gyllyngvase Car Park, set back from the town's beach of the same name, will be closed off to all motor homes and campers between the hours of 11pm and 8am if the proposals get the go ahead.

This change would be in effect all year round, throughout the summer and winter months.

Falmouth Bay Residents' Association, which has members in the Gyllyngvase area, has long campaigned for an end to campervans staying overnight.

Last summer, when a raft of new parking bans were proposed for the area, association chair Ella Richards said “documented evidence” showed “the long standing issue of overnight camper van parking” to be “significant and increasing.”

She added: “People in the affected area feel intimidated when strangers arrive and sleep right outside their home.

“Reports of littering, inappropriate waste disposal and toilet arrangement abuse have added to the desire to find a resolution to the problem.”

The issue had been a “drain on police and council resources for a considerable period,” she said.

“We are trying to ensure that Gyllyngvase retains its special character for the benefit of both local residents and visitors alike.”

Packet readers can have their say on the proposals by emailing parking@cornwall.gov.uk before Friday, January 11.

Comments(53)

GrahamHarris says...
3:53pm Mon 7 Jan 13

Van ban plan, could be a Dutch footballer :-D

Seriously though, why single out this car park, there's many a time campers are parked in the layby up round the castle and there's been a fire engine parked on North Parade for about a year now!!!

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meerkats says...
4:02pm Mon 7 Jan 13

May be good for Gyllyngvase car park but it wont stop them parking in other areas around Falmouth.

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molesworth says...
4:44pm Mon 7 Jan 13

What a friendly lot we Cornish are! In France, small towns welcome overnight camping from valued tourists. Why can't we welcome them here?
And by the way - I've had my eye on the miserable bunch of residents who live near Gylly Beach for years now - ever since they tried to stop evening BBQs on the beach and gatherings of more than 6 people. Ridiculous!!

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Gill Zella Martin 09 says...
5:47pm Mon 7 Jan 13

Gosh, gatherings of more than six people, well that rules out a family of two adults and five children then. Or an extended family visit to the beach.

I am surprised Cornwall Council haven't taken the advantage of letting the camper vans park and charging extra for them.

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rwarwicker says...
7:24pm Mon 7 Jan 13

molesworth wrote:
What a friendly lot we Cornish are! In France, small towns welcome overnight camping from valued tourists. Why can't we welcome them here?
And by the way - I've had my eye on the miserable bunch of residents who live near Gylly Beach for years now - ever since they tried to stop evening BBQs on the beach and gatherings of more than 6 people. Ridiculous!!
In France many car parks and Laybys have a couple of electric hook ups as well.

More importantly the abandoned fire engine on North Parade which has flat tyres and has had for at least 18 months, should be addressed more importantly in my view.

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Lanty Slee says...
12:42am Tue 8 Jan 13

Bloody NIMBYs,

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GrahamHarris says...
8:47am Tue 8 Jan 13

Thank you rwarwicker, I was beginning to think that it was only I that could see the fire engine!!!

Police must drive past it every day and nothing happens.

The wheels are actually now digging into the tarmac of the road causing damage so maybe our beloved and efficient Council will do something some day???

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meerkats says...
10:32am Tue 8 Jan 13

perhaps they are hoping it will fall into a deep hole caused by the damaged tarmac,then they will just come along and cover it over. I havent seen it as i dont go that way, but any idea why its there ?

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thehound says...
10:36am Tue 8 Jan 13

This is typical of Falmouth. A few camper van owners have been inconsiderate and now we're going to ban them all. Great.

As a camper van owner myself, I love travelling around our beautiful county with my family and staying in car parks. It's safer than a lay-by when you have small children and we can't afford to stay on actual camp sites (and don't want to anyway, the point of the van is that we are .... free!). It's such a shame that we are to lose another car park.

Can I also just say in response to this: "People in the affected area feel intimidated when strangers arrive and sleep right outside their home." What? They're not 'right outside their house', they're in the car park. Possibly the NIMBYist thing I've ever read/heard!

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meerkats says...
11:56am Tue 8 Jan 13

Hardly ,very welcoming for tourists etc ,especially as Cornwall relies on the holiday industry for income etc.

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Claudius says...
12:16pm Tue 8 Jan 13

I've never heard such nonsense.
I could understand if Hygene really was an issue, but I suspect not.
Go and park in the surrounding streets peeps, I can't see why I can park my car anywhere but you can't park a camper van.
There will be a no loitering sign up next,so walkers don't intimidate the residents.

Anyone know if the fire engine is taxed seeing it is on a public road ?

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jane-w says...
12:24pm Tue 8 Jan 13

this seems to be a case of money talks!! I think this association has far too much power and say in what goes on in Falmouth - are they running the town or the council?? In France in the carparks not only as mentioned can campervans etc park with hookups but they are free in lots of tourist towns too! Mind you they are more friendly over there too towards the boating community and tourists in general. I understand they are trying to stop parking on the roads around the area too overnight so perish the thought that you might actually want to visit someone in that area in your van!! NIMBYS!!! I also wonder if the fire engine is taxed, has a valid MOT etc - ps thanks to all those who raised this issue as I too began to think I was the only one to see it.

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Gill Zella Martin 09 says...
2:03pm Tue 8 Jan 13

If the fire engine was privately owned and officially dumped and it constituted a health and safety issue ie the windscreen was broken then the council would be obliged to remove it if notified about it.
If it is owned by someone who still wants it then the DVLA should be contacted if it is on the public highway and not taxed.

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meerkats says...
2:39pm Tue 8 Jan 13

If it had been stolen by joyriders or the such, it would have been removed by the Police for their enquiries etc. Seems that it is just dumped and forgotten about, but it is illegally parked if not taxed or insured, maybe someone from the Council should take the time to look into it ,instead of trivial things like camper vans that do have the right to be on the road,which they are trying to ban from parking in a car park overnight.

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meerkats says...
2:44pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Another thing,the fire engine could be classed as a health and safety issue, what if some youngster climbed aboard to have a look and got injured ,who would take responsibility for it being there then. you can sue anyone for anything these days so i am sure the injured party would have a case. Youngsters are fascinated by fire engines and the temptation may be too much.

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meerkats says...
2:44pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Another thing,the fire engine could be classed as a health and safety issue, what if some youngster climbed aboard to have a look and got injured ,who would take responsibility for it being there then. you can sue anyone for anything these days so i am sure the injured party would have a case. Youngsters are fascinated by fire engines and the temptation may be too much.

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Package says...
5:26pm Tue 8 Jan 13

I belong to www.wildcamping.co.u
k around 11000 members to date. We have a strict code of conduct re parking, litter noise etc. All we want to do is enjoy the British countryside scenes and sights. Parking up for 1 maybe 2 nights. In doing so we spend a considerable amount of money in eateries and hostelries where we are made to feel welcome. Dont worry wont be visiting either Falmouth or Scarborough this year as its plain you dont want our custom.

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meerkats says...
5:52pm Tue 8 Jan 13

This is precisely the point i meant on my earlier comment re CC are not doing much to make tourists which Cornwall relies on feel welcome. The countryside is there for everyone to enjoy and as long as people respect that there should be no bans on anyone with or without camper vans. If i was able to i would love to take this kind of holiday myself.

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marydot says...
6:20pm Tue 8 Jan 13

I am another member of Wildcamping.co.uk. We went to France last summer and enjoyed a month of using some campsites and some Free Aires (parking places) with free water, sometimes elctricity and facilities for emptying our waste. We spent a lot of money on eating out and generally enjoying the country. Devon and Cornwall was on our list for the coming year, but it looks as though we are not welcome, thanks to the behaviour of a few morons. So, Channel Tunnel here we come again - we know when we're not wanted!

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Claudius says...
7:16pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Marydot/Package I don't blame you one bit.Head off to sunnier climes where you might welcome.
I did notice on a visit to France this year an ordinary carpark in a little village with hook up points.I didn't notice if you had to pay for the privalege but it didnt look like it.
I'm Cornish....am I proud....Naah not one bit.

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meerkats says...
7:42pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Makes me wonder what the Falmouth Bay residents association will come up with next if they get their way this time.

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Claudius says...
8:00pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Ah....well obviously it's going to be made a private beach.

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jane-w says...
9:09pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Wouldnt be surprised Claudius!! I mean they dont want people staring at them or ruining their view as they sit on their balconies or look out of their windows!!! Its not even as if they park right outside their homes cuz the houses are set back off the road!! Oh well guess we know who is running Falmouth now.

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meerkats says...
9:24pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Perhaps a nudist beach ,wonder if they would still complain about the views!! lol,

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Package says...
8:51am Wed 9 Jan 13

“Reports of littering, inappropriate waste disposal and toilet arrangement abuse have added to the desire to find a resolution to the problem.”

The issue had been a “drain on police and council resources for a considerable period,” she said.

Is there any evidence to support this gross slur on the reputation of decent motorhomers?

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Package says...
8:57am Wed 9 Jan 13

“People in the affected area feel intimidated when strangers arrive and sleep right outside their home.??

Are these the same people that phone the police when they see a Black man?

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ArmedForcesVet says...
9:42am Wed 9 Jan 13

“People in the affected area feel intimidated when strangers arrive and sleep right outside their home.??

Then you shouldnt't feel intimidated. Any trouble and you have a vehicle registration number to quote. The motorhome will be occupied. Any genuine troublemakers, burglars maybe, will be less likely to cause trouble if they think they might be observed from the window of a motorhome. Your security is enhanced. Campervanners can be your unpaid night watchmen. Welcome them.

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GrahamHarris says...
9:46am Wed 9 Jan 13

Also, just perusing the overhead Google map view, I would say that there's only a maximum of 8 houses that can see the car park anyway!

Maybe if hedging was planted between the tennis courts and the car park then that would screen off a view of the camper vans?

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Claudius says...
10:05am Wed 9 Jan 13

Well I'm going to start a petition to get all the hotels and guest houses shut down....I'm fed up being intimidated by all the strangers they bring to the town.

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Gill Zella Martin 09 says...
10:12am Wed 9 Jan 13

Claudius wrote:
Well I'm going to start a petition to get all the hotels and guest houses shut down....I'm fed up being intimidated by all the strangers they bring to the town.
Lol

I suggest the real reason people are objecting possibly has more to do with the unjustified perception that camper vans may lower the tone of the area.

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Poldark says...
11:03am Wed 9 Jan 13

Zella, you have it in one,!! the Falmouth Bay residents are a law unto themselves. Something they don't want or like they set plans into place and get it actioned.

This is the only area in Falmouth that seems to get things implemented, unlike
the rest of Falmouth,....

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Pendennisracer says...
12:13pm Wed 9 Jan 13

The problem is, there are a handful of the same vans using the seafront many nights of the year, they are nearly permanent fixture. You must ask what do they do with their waste and are they really using local businesses.

The bigger problem is the residents association, they'll try & stop people using their beach and car park next.

How about a little compromise on both parts: limited 1 night parking for say 2 or 3 vans in the car park & a couple more at the Hornworks with a tap/emptying facilities for a very small fee - win all round!

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Lord Barrington Forbes-Smythe says...
2:27pm Wed 9 Jan 13

These objectors are just NIMBYFYOIFANMY's (not in my back yard, front yard or in fact anywhere near my house).

They get on my wick. The situation is already bad enough for camper van drivers in this country. When some relatives from Ireland came to visit us and the area in a camper van recently, they were stunned not only by how tricky some of the lanes are to negotiate but first and foremost by just how hard it is to find anywhere to stop your van at all without being moved on or clamped by someone or other. Ours is a regulation-heavy society, don't make it worse!

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Lord Barrington Forbes-Smythe says...
2:28pm Wed 9 Jan 13

For the record, that should have been "NIMBYFYOIFANMH"s!

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meerkats says...
2:44pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Lord Barrington Forbes-Smythe wrote:
For the record, that should have been "NIMBYFYOIFANMH
"s!
wow, no wonder you spelt it wrong the 1st time.!! lol

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rwarwicker says...
8:20pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Gill Zella Martin 09 wrote:
Claudius wrote:
Well I'm going to start a petition to get all the hotels and guest houses shut down....I'm fed up being intimidated by all the strangers they bring to the town.
Lol

I suggest the real reason people are objecting possibly has more to do with the unjustified perception that camper vans may lower the tone of the area.
Lower the tone? really?
Have you seen the prices of some of these vans. A look at a local campervan retailer's website shows they are far from low tone. £22000 for a 12 year old van, being the lowest priced option!

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meerkats says...
9:15pm Wed 9 Jan 13

rwarwicker wrote:
Gill Zella Martin 09 wrote:
Claudius wrote:
Well I'm going to start a petition to get all the hotels and guest houses shut down....I'm fed up being intimidated by all the strangers they bring to the town.
Lol

I suggest the real reason people are objecting possibly has more to do with the unjustified perception that camper vans may lower the tone of the area.
Lower the tone? really?
Have you seen the prices of some of these vans. A look at a local campervan retailer's website shows they are far from low tone. £22000 for a 12 year old van, being the lowest priced option!
takes me back to an earlier comment i made about being able to take this kind of hol myself but at that price no way !!

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Gill Zella Martin 09 says...
8:46am Thu 10 Jan 13

rwarwicker wrote:
Gill Zella Martin 09 wrote:
Claudius wrote:
Well I'm going to start a petition to get all the hotels and guest houses shut down....I'm fed up being intimidated by all the strangers they bring to the town.
Lol

I suggest the real reason people are objecting possibly has more to do with the unjustified perception that camper vans may lower the tone of the area.
Lower the tone? really?
Have you seen the prices of some of these vans. A look at a local campervan retailer's website shows they are far from low tone. £22000 for a 12 year old van, being the lowest priced option!
That's why I said unjustified perception that camper vans lower the town.

If you ask some people why they don't want camper vans parked near where they live they seem to have the same attitude that some people have about travellers/gypsies. Despite maybe owning an expensive camper van, some residents think the occupants will leave rubbish behind.

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Gill Zella Martin 09 says...
8:48am Thu 10 Jan 13

Should have said lower the tone of the town

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Gill Zella Martin 09 says...
8:50am Thu 10 Jan 13

That is not to say that people with money do not leave rubbish around because some do. Some people from all walks of life do.

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Pendennisracer says...
1:29pm Thu 10 Jan 13

rwarwicker wrote:
Gill Zella Martin 09 wrote:
Claudius wrote:
Well I'm going to start a petition to get all the hotels and guest houses shut down....I'm fed up being intimidated by all the strangers they bring to the town.
Lol

I suggest the real reason people are objecting possibly has more to do with the unjustified perception that camper vans may lower the tone of the area.
Lower the tone? really?
Have you seen the prices of some of these vans. A look at a local campervan retailer's website shows they are far from low tone. £22000 for a 12 year old van, being the lowest priced option!
Unfortunately it's not this type of camper staying in Falmouth. More like 6ton Iveco Vans (think Hoppa Bus) or ex-library/disabled mini-buses (think primer & hardboarded up windows).

The £20K+ campers will have onboard facilities & waste storage etc, the above probably don't.

As I stated before, compromise by both parties, with mains drainage & water at both Gyllyngvase & The Hornworks it wouldn't take much to install appropriate sanitation.

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Gill Zella Martin 09 says...
2:47pm Thu 10 Jan 13

They sound similar to the ones that used to park in the Fairground car park in Helston for quite some lengthy stays. I am not referring to the legitimate fair either.

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communitygirl says...
3:52pm Thu 10 Jan 13

We are both retired and recently bought a motorhome.As you are aware there is an increasing elderly population who do have disposable income to spend .(I am sure this comment will no doubt trigger another long debate).The majority of caravanners and motorhomers are responsiblel and sensible people.
However if councils dont ' take a more balanced approach to caravans and motorhomes then quite simply we will go and spend elsewhere.Cornwall needs all the tourist income it can get especially as more and more people are holidaying in the UK now .You will always get people who will abuse free parking and also get narrow minded elderly NIMBYs with twitching net curtains and nothing better to do.The council should be capitalising on making a fair overnight charge and generating income.Installing height barriers is a shortsighted negative fix.If we are only talking about 8 house owners complaining,they need to get out more!.Unless they have some influence over the council decision?

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jane-w says...
4:12pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Unfortunately this residents group does seem to influence the council's decisions which is why we now have speed humps etc which are very high and annoying. Also in my opinion it is an infringement of a drivers rights that you are now unable to drive at the speed limit around the seafront which is 30 mph due to the speed bumps. I really dont believe any householder legally has the right to stop anyone from parking outside their property or rather opposite!! I really do think these people need to get out more.

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meerkats says...
4:24pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Quite a worry for other areas if these resident groups of such small numbers can have such an influence and get the council to do what they want. Not in Falmouth ,but i have seen on estates and,cul de sacs some properties with a single traffic cone to reserve their parking space, dont think its legal either.

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Gill Zella Martin 09 says...
5:19pm Thu 10 Jan 13

You have a legal right to exit your property but not to enter it, in otherwords you could actually park across someone's driveway if you wanted if there is no vehicle in it but you cannot block a vehicle in if there is one in the driveway. However, it would be a pretty stupid thing to do because there could be a vehicle that you can't see in the garage on the drive. Not to mention the fact it's rude and immoral to park in front of someone's drive, but my point being, if your vehicle is taxed you could park where you like excluding the obvious traffic laws, yellow lines etc. sticking a cone outside your house does not give you a legal right to a space.

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Gill Zella Martin 09 says...
5:23pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Residents associations usually work closely with local councils, however, this should not afford them any 'special' rights over any other residents.

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meerkats says...
5:41pm Thu 10 Jan 13

we used to have an off road parking space which people would park outside regardless if our car was there or not, ask them to move and they could be quite rude as if we were in the wrong.

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Cleanduck says...
1:00pm Fri 11 Jan 13

You can't win in Cornwall. You complain when vistors buy second homes to enjoy Cornwall. You complain when visitors use camper vans to enjoy Cornwall. People wouldn't need to do any of these things if your hotel prices, B&B prices and camp site prices were reasonable. The reality is that the tourists probably earn a similar wage as the Cornish so stop ripping tourists off.

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molesworth says...
2:11pm Fri 11 Jan 13

You're so right Cleanduck. I actually advise out of county friends to holiday in Ireland where they're really friendly. And I'm Cornish!
I know I'll be embarrassed because they'll have to suffer no-kids pubs, massive 'don't' signs on beaches and now 'parking nazis'.

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Gill Zella Martin 09 says...
2:37pm Fri 11 Jan 13

I don't agree that tourists probably earn a similar wage to the Cornish, a lot of Cornwall workers are notoriously low paid, Cornwall has the highest water rates in the country to pay and now they want to introduce regional pay. You have to be reasonably paid to afford any holiday. However, I do agree tourists seem to get ripped off with prices and unfortunately that affects locals too, for example the price hike of food during the tourist season £1.40 for an under sized small bottle of take away water from a cafe and £1.50 for a sausage roll. !!!

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SmokingHotCopy says...
9:21pm Thu 24 Jan 13

What a load of codswallop!

Talk about being extremely small minded, this undoubtedly very small number of residents of this housing association.

Yes I live in a camper van full time. Yes I work full time as an online marketing consultant. No I never leave any rubbish or litter absolutely anywhere.

Yes I stay in Falmouth regularly, well I would since it's my home town unlike probably some of these other local residents complaining.

Yes I dispose of my waste responsibly, I try not to make any noise if I can help it and at all times I enjoy being kind and considerate towards other people.

Yes my van is MOT'ed until 2014, it's taxed, in fact, it's completely road legal.

What exactly is the problem?

Strangers sleeping nearby eh?

A security risk?

Loitering?

Littering the area?

Oh really? And the proof that this is such a major problem is precisely where exactly?

In all the time I've spent on the road full time I've got to say I've never heard so much utter complete claptrap in all my life!

So these residents living locally, I take it they must know everyone by personal name within a quarter mile radius then?

I mean, lots of your neighbours no doubt are complete strangers to you too but are you so very frightened of the fact that God forbid, perfect strangers are lying down every night in their beds within their own homes on all sides of you?

Tell me, what is the difference between people asleep in their homes and people who are fast asleep for the night in their camper vans?

I mean seriously, what is the real issue here?

Could it be that just perhaps a few of these residents just have a little too much time on their hands, pointing fingers at the very slightest little thing they can have a moan about to make themselves feel more important than they actually are?

If there is a problem, I know for a fact what caused this. Probably in all likelihood, this has come about on the basis of one motorhome (not a camper van) which owner parked up in this car park for a few months, identity unknown.

So on this basis, these local residents now want to tarnish all motorhomer's with the same brush. Very responsible thinking I'm sure (not). Just another absolutely ridiculous knee jerk reaction if you ask me.

Being on the road full time, often touring the UK, I've not long come back to Cornwall from an extended tour of Scotland - funny thing is the only place there seems to be this perpetual small minded, narrowminded prevailing attitude is down here in Cornwall - no where else from my personal experience.

Every full time motorhomer I've met and I've met hundreds from all walks of life across every income bracket imaginable, the vast majority of them are all highly responsible, care for the environment, will often pick up other people's litter and dispose of it properly yet, just because we do live in a van or a motorhome we're perceived to be troublemakers. Don't worry, I get it. (The old gypsies and travelers label).

Personally, I've had enough of this kind of attitude, it's just pure 100% snobbery that's all it is.

No doubt these are the same people who given the opportunity will moan and **** at just about anything if it doesn't fit into their own perfect ideal of what the world is about.

The issue is a non starter and it's absolutely pathetic to raise it in the first place.

As I said above, let's see the evidence where all of these motorhomers and van dwellers are acting in the manner described causing a nuisance to other people!

If there is no evidence to support this stance these people on this Gyllyngvase Housing Association should seriously get a life and stop discriminating against other people with next to zero evidence to back up their false claims.

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meerkats says...
9:36pm Thu 24 Jan 13

hear hear. well written comment

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