The Queenstown Lakes District Council decided yesterday at a meeting in Wanaka staff should attempt to reach an agreement with two landowners on planning, infrastructure and timetable issues relating to a greenfields site on the outskirts of town before any site decision is made.
The alternative site is at the showgrounds and camping ground reserve in the centre of town.
At least 40 people attended the council meeting in Wanaka, with 17 making submissions during the public forum and many calling for a site decision to be made now.
Community services general manager Paul Wilson and policy and planning general manager Phil Pannet will negotiate the draft agreement with Willowridge Developments Ltd and Ballantyne Investments Ltd.
Deputy mayor John S. Wilson, of Wanaka, was chairing the meeting in the absence of mayor Clive Geddes, who is on leave.
The councillors debated for more than an hour before arriving at their decision.
During that time, only two clearly stated their position: Cr Lyal Cocks, of Wanaka, supports the greenfields site, while Cr Gillian Macleod, of Wakatipu, supports the showgrounds site.
The sports facilities issues are intertwined with discussions on the fate of the Wanaka Lakeview Holiday Park, the construction of a new aquatic centre and the use of central reserves for sports or built development.
The public forum revealed a clear division in Wanaka on these issues.
However, the public was united in its desire for the council to start making decisions.
Wanaka economist Nick Brown was a project manager for the council's 2008 sports facilities working party that recommended the showgrounds-camping ground site.
That group was not asked to investigate the greenfields option, which arose later.
Mr Brown urged the council not to lose sight of the consultation done in 2008, nor the fact the council did not yet have projected capital and operating costs for either site.
Willowridge Investments director Allan Dippie owns land in the greenfields triangle.
Mr Dippie pledged his "support and desire to continue to work with you [the council] to develop two viable options".
He had no particular opinion on a site but believed two viable options were needed to make an informed decision.
He would support whatever decision was made, he said.
"If the council goes with the greenfields I want to say I will do everything I can to help make that happen. We have four jewels in our crown. One is the showgrounds. Now we have an opportunity to create a fifth jewel to look back on in time and that would be sports facilities," Mr Dippie said.
All the councillors agreed they wanted to make a site decision based on certainty, which they hoped the stakeholder's agreement would provide in three months.
But none supported the deputy mayor's calls for an additional report on camping ground operations.
