MAY 2021
 

'Economic benefit seems difficult to prove'

Request for formal RV Friendly
status falls by the wayside

  Have your say

MOVES to turn one of WA's popular tourist towns into an "official" RV Friendly destination have fallen by the wayside.

City of Albany councillors voted against the idea, maintaining it was already friendly to travellers by offering six free and low-fee camping grounds outside the CBD.

The state's Association of Caravan Clubs, which operates under the registered business name of Caravanswest, had called on the council to give Albany formal RV Friendly status.

A report from a council officer recommended refusal and pointed out that the only thing the town did not provide was short-term (24hr, 48hr and 72hr) parking within a reasonable distance to the CBD.

Councillor Matt Benson-Lidholm told the meeting that it did not "need a stamp" to prove it was RV friendly, adding: "We've already got everything."

BIG4 Emu Beach Holiday Park owner Luke Shuttleworth opposed the request, telling councillors that Albany was a tourist town unlike other smaller towns.

"It's not a transit stop," he pointed out. They're not going to bypass with what we have to offer."

The report pointed out that providing free camping was in direct competition with local park operators.

"These operators pay significant rates, lease fees to local government, as well as investing significantly in their business infrastructure with a flow-on benefit to other local businesses," it said.

"Providing services at no cost devalues and undermines the financial viability of local parks and discourages investment by the operator, thereby creating a lose situation for the local economy."

The economic benefit often quoted seemed difficult to prove, the report claimed.

It raised the "unfairness" of private owners having to comply with many regulations and requirements, while an RV friendly site would be largely unregulated.

Further free facilities could adversely impact the viability of local operators.

The report pointed out that the RV Friendly program was a voluntary program with no statutory responsibilities within that program.

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