Auckland Council postpone decision on freedom-camping bylaw

The decision to delay the Hearings Panel recommendations report was made today. Photo / File

A decision on the freedom-camping bylaw proposed by Auckland Council has been postponed.

Chair of the hearings panel Linda Cooper said, in a decision supported by Mayor Phil Goff, the decision to delay was made today.

"We have had a community group signal its intent for potential legal action against the proposed bylaw," Cooper said.

"The Hearings Panel is using this time to get advice and complete our recommendations before we report to the Governing Body."

The bylaw is thought to include hundreds of sites throughout Auckland but the proposal has been marred with tension and controversy.

Rodney Ward councillor Greg Sayers wrote to Goff last month requesting the bylaw be withdrawn and rewritten.

Of the decision to postpone, the mayor said concerns raised by the public have been heard and acted on.

"We have heard the concerns raised by the community on this issue and I want the issue deferred until Council has got it right," he said.

Public consultation on the bylaw ran from December 3, 2018, to February 18, 2019, and public deliberations were held on April 4, May 29 and May 31.