A cramped campground in Savona was not conforming to local bylaws and will have to shut down.
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October 07, 2014 - 1:45 PM
KAMLOOPS - Two lake front lots in Savona that were used as a campground up through the 1990s should not have been used for seasonal camping when the new owners took over in 2006 the Supreme Court of B.C. has decided.
Thompson Nicola Regional District Development Director Regina Sadilkova says after nearly seven years of complaints from the neighbourhood they are happy to have the courts back them up.
“There are many different nuances… (basically) what they were doing doesn’t accord with current or historical zoning bylaws,” Sadilkova explains. “There were so many complaints we were called to action. People weren’t happy with what they were doing.”
She says complaints varied from the number of cars parked on the road and the smoke from many campfires to beer bottles thrown into, and people peeing in, neighbouring yards. The district was also concerned with the stress on water and local utilities.
The owners had began rezoning applications back in 2007 but they essentially wanted to keep doing what they were doing, which according to Sadilkova was still not acceptable to the community, staff or the board.
In 2012 legal proceedings began and the two sides met to discuss the land use. The proceedings were put on hold while the two worked on a plan but in 2013 the application file at the regional district was finally closed when the board turned down the latest application. The limit of 22 recreational vehicles the owners wanted to house on the properties was double what the district was willing to support.
At that point the court proceedings resumed and more than a year later a judge has agreed with the district the use of the site did not comply with the zoning.
“We are very, very happy with the decision… and we’ll trust they will respect the decision.”
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014