Crackdown on rogue camping site owners
The local authority has also requested the Department of the Environment to significantly increase fines, which were last updated in 1948.
The penalties are so small in today’s terms they are not viewed as being a deterrent to rogue operators.
A special purposes committee (SPC) within the council has drafted new guidelines for caravan and camping site owners, which has been welcomed by the National Caravan and Camping Association.
The SPC chairman Councillor Alan Coleman said there were about 40 licensed caravan and camping parks in Co Cork, but there are a number still operating without authorisation.
He is hoping the Department of the Environment would work speedily on the request to increase fines so the local authority could implement new legislation effectively.
“At present if an unlicensed operator is taken to court the maximum fine which can be given to them under the 1948 legislation is €63. That is ridiculously small in today’s terms. It should be upgraded significantly,” Mr Coleman said.
There is also no real deterrent against an unlicensed operator continuing to do business even after being taken to court.
“Under the 1948 legislation if a person continues to operate the maximum fine which can be imposed is €6.30 per day. That should be at least €630 per day,” the councillor said.
“The onus is also on the local authority to catch somebody operating illegally for 15 consecutive days before they can be taken to court. That is also ridiculous. It should be reduced to five working days and not consecutive either,” Mr Coleman added.
Cork County Council is working actively to promote more tourism in the region and wants to create caravan and camping parks on a par with the best in Europe.
“A lot of Irish people travel to France on camping and caravaning holidays and they know the high standard of sites there. Having any substandard sites here will not be conducive to attracting tourists,” Mr Coleman said.
The council’s draft policy document has been circulated to licensed site owners throughout Co Cork and has been broadly welcomed by the operators.
The county council wants to limit the amount of caravans to 50 per hectare (20 per acre).
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
