1 March is the first day of the camping season in Denmark. In winter, there is a 15-20 day limit (with permission from the municipality) for how long you can stay in a caravan or cabin on a pitch – no tents in winter! – although a majority of MPs are believed to favor a two-year trial, starting from 1 November 2023, which would allow full-time residence in 5 per cent of all winter units.
March’s entry, together with the likely new law, could be considered good news by the 80 people who consider Corona Camping in Køge Municipality their home.
They have lived all year round at Corona Camping, which was featured in the TV2 program ‘Trailerpark Denmark’, for many years, and the municipality’s work to evict them has been going on since 2017.
Furthermore, the 80 campers – including some “vulnerable citizens”, according to TV2, who all live at Corona Camping – currently take up well over 5 percent of Corona Camping’s winter units.
It’s a problem that has disappeared with the end of February, but battle lines will be drawn again on November 1 and the dispute will continue.
The union calls for clearer rules for camping
The Danish Camping Union (DCU) fears that the new law could actually lead to the development of trailer parks similar to those seen in the USA.
“We think that camping is a form of holiday and leisure and not a form of housing. There must be some very clear rules in this area,” says DCU chairman Anne-Vibeke Isaksen to TV2.
“Otherwise we’re going to have trailer parks and American conditions, and that’s not something we want in the DCU.”
However, Susanne Farnø, co-owner of Corona Camping, rejects the idea and points out that “not all trailer parks in the US are slums” and “that some people are better off here because they are simply better off here than they are in an apartment” .
However, she warns: “No one should ever be forced to live in a caravan. The municipality should not be able to use caravans as an outlet for citizens on the fringes of society.”
The campsite’s co-owner rejects claims for a trailer park
Farnø is unsure whether the proposed new law will help her long-term resident, as the 5 percent requirement is very low.
“It’s a tiny door, but now it’s at least ajar.” “The politicians have opened their eyes to the problem and are open to looking at other ways of life,” she said.
“Instead, we think that it should be up to the individual campsite owner to decide how many permanent residents they want.”
The Climate and Planning Committee in Køge Municipality would beg to differ, but so far it has not reported the residents to the police.
Source: The Nordic Page