Editor’s note: The Reporter did not attempt to contact the operators of www.freecampsites.net prior to publishing this article.
PORT HAWKESBURY: Town council is taking steps to address problems associated with overnight camping occurring at the look-off located where Granville Street meets Prince Street.
A special public meeting was held on July 6 to address what is being described as “significant volumes” of overnight camping at the park area. According to Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton, this meeting came together after Deputy Mayor Hughie MacDougall reported that he had received several calls from local residents regarding the Granville-Prince look-off being advertised as a free overnight parking area on the independently-run Web service www.freecampsites.net.
“The residents who live close to the property noted incidences of litter being left behind, potential damage to green spaces with vehicle traffic driving on them, noise, and in general, with a heavy presence of campers,” Chisholm-Beaton recalled.
“The use of the park area to watch the sunset, or spend some quiet time, or enjoy a bite to eat and enjoy the water view was compromised by the unwanted use of the site.”
As a temporary solution until permanent signage can be established at the site, town officials in attendance at the July 6 special meeting agreed to have large boulders placed along the entrance to the site. From now on, parking can only be done parallel to the property and the road, minimizing access for vehicles intending to camp overnight. Parking is still allowed, but visitors must get out of their vehicles to enjoy the view of the Strait of Canso and the Canso Causeway.
While some town residents have taken to social media to suggest they can no longer access the look-off, partly due to their need for medical equipment such as walkers, Mayor Chisholm-Beaton pointed out that the town strategy is to keep vehicles out but allow access to pedestrians.
“The boulders are not necessarily going to be there for the long-term, but they do serve an immediate and cost-effective means to limit access to camping, since that is not the intended purpose of the site, nor is it zoned as such,” the mayor noted.
Among the dozens of responses Chisholm-Beaton has received about her social media postings on the issue are a small number of complaints suggesting council is driving potential tourist traffic away from Port Hawkesbury. However, she pointed out that the majority of those that have contacted her about the situation understand the liability issues the town faces as the official property landowner.
“It would take one campfire gone wrong, or a person getting seriously hurt, or one severe amount of damage done to nearby property or the park property to realize the weight of what liability truly means,” Chisholm-Beaton warned.
Instead, town officials will soon launch a beautification strategy for the look-off to ensure that it is properly enjoyed by visitors and residents, and Chisholm-Beaton is hoping the recent discussion on this issue will spur aspiring entrepreneurs to launch a Port Hawkesbury-area campsite to add to the town’s reputation as “a welcoming community.”