By DENNIS AMOR

THERE were fears that free parking in a South Australian city would rob caravan parks of business, the local deputy mayor has claimed.

His comment follows concerns that caravanners and other travellers were avoiding the industrial centre of Port Pirie, located on the eastern shores of the Spencer Gulf, because of a shortage of parking facilities.

Port Perie, 230km north of Adelaide, prides itself on being 'The City of Friendly People' and boasts of at least four caravan parks.

But Deputy Mayor Neville Wilson warned that free parking would result in mobile homes being parked everywhere ... "in parking bays and around the parklands". He claimed some travellers were not as diligent as others.

“The mobile home industry is a self-sufficient entity," he told the media. "The problem will be that we are taking clients away from caravan parks because we are providing facilities free. We need to encourage people to spend money locally."

Councillors at a recent meeting had questioned why there had been inaction over mobile home parking, despite the council promoting the city at a tourism expo in Victoria.

A council report from last August said research into providing parking facilities for mobile homes was "currently being undertaken" but councillors were concerned about the lack of progress.

Councillor David Carwana pointed out that other councils were encouraging mobile homes and it was just a matter of encouraging them where to park.

He requested a report be drawn up on the matter.

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