With the opening of the Blue Derby Mountain Bike Network in 2015, the small town of Derby gained a new lease on life and rapidly became a tourist hotspot.
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However, this rapid tourist growth had residents concerned about the free camping along the river at Derby Park.
A petition was submitted to Dorset Council on January 15, which urged the council to address the use of open camp fires at Derby Park.
The petitioner, Rob Thompson, urged the council to put more safety measures in place, such as larger signs, providing fire pots or fireplaces, and authorising council officers to visit the park to point out regulations to campers.
Dorset Council general manager Tim Watson said the council had discussed Mr Thompson’s petition at a workshop in February.
“It is clear from these discussions that council is very supportive of free camping in Derby but acknowledges that the amenities block in Derby Park will need replacement and the use of open camp fires needs to be addressed,” Mr Watson said.
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“Budget allocations for the replacement of the amenities block and construction of permanent campfires will be recommended for inclusion in the 2018/2019 budget estimates.”
Mr Thompson said at the council meeting on February 19 that he would like to hear the council’s plans for the future of camping at Derby.
“The overarching purpose of the Blue Derby Mountain Bike Trails is to provide tourism infrastructure that will result in increased visitation to the region, diversifying the local economy and resulting in business investment and job creation,” Mr Watson said.
“In this context council has to date been very careful not to undermine investment in accommodation by upgrading the amenities block in Derby Park.
“I would respectively point out that the amount of public open space along the river foreshore in Derby has increased substantially since the opening of the mountain bike trails.
“One could therefore conclude that this increase in public open space is a direct result of the mountain bike visitation and councils support of free camping in Derby and indeed the whole municipality of Dorset.”