Council last week rejected a move from Cr John Webb, Cr Russell Holden, Cr Esme Martens and Cr Percy Thompson to rescind its decision to allow camping at the showground only when town caravan parks are full, or in association with events held there.

Council adopted the policy last month after caravan park owners complained that the council-managed showground should not compete with privately owned businesses.

The decision brought an angry response from the caravanning community, with some threatening to bypass Mudgee rather than being forced to pay for caravan park facilities that self-contained travellers do not need.

The Land and Property Management Authority subsequently advised that a development application was required for camping not associated with showground events.

Council last week passed a development application which will allow it to implement the policy adopted in June.

The development application allows up to 25 camping sites to be used at any one time, the maximum the current sites can cater for. Council will also upgrade firefighting equipment at the ground at a cost of $9200.

Showground management committee chairman John Webb said council’s decision was doing the region’s image “no good at all”.

“[The showgrounds] are providing a service,” he said. “A lot of people just won’t go to a caravan park - they will just park on the road.

“We have had an incident where a person unable to use the showgrounds parked on the street because he would not go to a caravan park.”

You can’t expect to have a budget and then turn around and cut off one of the arms of income.

Cr Russell Holden, also a member of the showground management committee, said as a result of concern over the viability of the showground, council had put together a management plan which included a budget allocation for camping.

“When the new showground management committee was in place, we believed we needed to demonstrate the committee could work to budget,” he said, adding that the only promotion of showground camping was by word of mouth.

“You can’t expect to have a budget and then turn around and cut off one of the arms of income.”

Cr Holden said caravan park owner Brett Swords had never asked to stop camping at the showground, only requesting that the showground operate on a level playing field with commercial parks.

“All he asked is that we charge the same price and all this has escalated,” Cr Holden said.

But Cr John Weatherley reiterated his view that it was “utterly wrong that council own a caravan park, lease it for a considerable amount of money and then set up in opposition by establishing a fixed caravan park.”

“I am not here to represent a small number of people who are too miserly to pay more at legal caravan parks so they can get it cheaper at the showgrounds and who trash the town,” he said.

“We don’t want them here.

“You are responding to a small number of unreasonable people trying to dictate to us what we do.”

Mayor Des Kennedy said the issue was a trival matter whipped up by social media.

“[Showground] revenue from camping over the last few years would be negligible,” he said.

“It’s an illegal activity that isn’t allowed whether you like it or not.”

Cr Kennedy also dismissed claims travellers would bypass Mudgee.

“They’ll come to Mudgee because it’s the best town in the state,” he said.

While opposing the rescission motion, Cr Peter Shelley questioned whether the development consent now in place would accommodate caravans associated with the Mudgee Show.

Council was told up to 300 side side alley and ring competitors were involved with the show.

“If Mudgee Show won’t take many, they are more than welcome at Rylstone Showground,” Cr Shelley said.