Objections to Kinvara camping bylaw

CONTROVERSIAL bylaws preventing overnight camping in areas of Kinvara were passed by Galway County Council recently.
Councillors voted unanimously to pass a new Kinvara bylaw, which prohibits temporary dwellings at Kinvara Pier, a move that has caused outrage among sections of the local community.
However, an objection to the decision is to be lodged with the Minister for Local Government Dominic Gallagher, chairman of the Kinvara Community Council, said the decision sent the wrong message and stressed, “Kinvara is a tourist town; tourists are welcome here”.
The community council held a number of meetings on the proposals in recent months, where Mr Gallagher said, “every side got a fair hearing”.
“The first meeting was called in Johnston’s hostel and more than 100 people attended and there were speakers from lots of backgrounds. There were representatives from the fishermen, the sailing club, people from Cruinniu na mBád, people in the tourist industry, people from the campervan movement and there was the general public. All of those people agreed that Kinvara is open and welcomes all tourists, as they see Kinvara as being a town or village sustained on tourism and didn’t want to create a hostile environment for anyone who wanted to visit,” he said.
“There is public outrage that the county councillors totally ignored all of the good will and facilitation provided by the community council to try to get to an amicable situation agreeable to everyone. So basically, the county councillors had total disregard and showed complete lack of support for what the people want. It flew in the face of the efforts people here made to sort out this problem,” he added.
The order, as passed by Galway County Council, prohibits the erection or retention of a tent, van or shed, hut or similar structure used for human habitation or constructed or adapted for such use, on Kinvara Pier area between 9pm and 8am daily.
It states that “a person who erects or retains a temporary dwelling in contravention of this order shall be guilty of an offence under Section 31 of the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act 1948 and liable to a fine and in continuing offences the court may order the forfeiture of the temporary dwelling”.
Councillor Michael ‘Mogie’ Maher defended councillors’ actions in unanimously passing the new bylaws.
“There was consultation with the community council. Councillor Peter Feeney met with Dominic Gallagher in connection with it. This had gone on for months and months and half wanted it and half didn’t…We had to make a decision. We met the community council. We spoke openly to see if we could resolve it and we did vote on it. We needed to bring in bylaws. Whether we bring in the bylaws or not, they can appeal it to the minister and that door is still open to them.”
“We have designated entirely for campers,” Councillor Maher added. “Some people go to Kinvara, enjoy staying over in the area for a night and I welcome that but if people stay here for months and months and urinate on people’s houses, I am against that.”
“We had to let people know that if they park outside people’s houses and stay there that the community warden will implement the bylaws,” he said.
Councillor Maher’s party colleague, Councillor Bridie Willers, also stands by the decision.
“The bylaws were agreed by the full council on Monday last. They will now go on public display and every citizen in Kinvara can appeal this decision to the Minister for the Environment, if they so wish. It was agreed that they can be revisited again when the sewerage treatment plant is up and running and work on resurfacing of the streets begins.
“This saga has gone on since 2010. It was residents of the quays in Kinvara who brought the issue of caravans, converted campers, trucks and mobile homes who parked outside their homes during festivals and throughout the summer, when we got summers and who made their lives a nightmare. These vehicles had no sanitation and in many cases cooked and lit stoves in these vehicles right outside their doors.
“We looked at various proposals and there was general agreement that once the bylaws did not interfere with the boats coming and going in the bay, they would be acceptable. Business people who lived on the quays who might be affected and expressed their concerns were consulted,” Councillor Willers stated.
“I am not too surprised that the community council have raised concerns at the 11th hour but to the best of my knowledge, nobody on the community council had these vehicles parked outside their private homes,” she added.
Kinvara Community Council held a directors’ meeting on Thursday last at which a number of members expressed their intent to object to the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government within the prescribed 14-day window.