The Invercargill City Council will be consulting soon with the community as part of its annual plan about its play strategy which suggested the creation of a "playable and multifunctional space" for children of all ages in Dee St — right next to the library — or have activities spread across the city, including Bluff.
A report by local play advocate Dr Damien Puddle was presented to the community wellbeing and regulatory Committee on Tuesday.
The project was budgeted to cost $4,956,000 from the long-term plan over four years, plus $1.5m external funding, and offers two possibilities.
One was to develop a "destination-style play hub" in the city centre with the goal of enhancing the quality of life for residents as well as helping to bring more visitors in to enjoy Invercargill.
"The preference is for an innovative playable and multifunctional space that caters to various age groups and abilities to serve as a focal point for community gatherings, events, and daily recreation, encouraging extended visits to the city centre," the report says.
It would run along with activations and a play trail aimed to connect the space with other areas of the city centre and encourage exploration of the inner city.
The other option, which was preferred by most councillors, was to have a distributed programme which would span not only the city centre — with a smaller-scale hub — but also Bluff, South Invercargill and North Invercargill.
It included a refresh of the primary playground on Onslow St in Bluff, the redevelopment of Elizabeth Park and also to improve the offers at Queens Park.
One of the main topics discussed during the meeting was the location of the play hub.
Cr Steve Broad asked if the suggested Dee St space was really suitable for such a project or it was an "attempt to make fit".
Dr Puddle said any location was a challenge in the city centre as the project required an open space of 2500sqm.
The closest location was a carpark on Esk St which was only part-owned by the council so "to consider a site like that would have other implications" such as loss of revenue, he said.
Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark also raised concerns about the location due to its proximity to The Grand, while Cr Ria Bond said it would be very close to Wachner Pl, which would be changing and have more traffic with the opening of the Distinction Hotel.
She also raised concerns in investing this amount when people were struggling financially.
"In the long term, it is nice to have. I don’t think right now it’s necessary to have . . ."
Cr Lesley Soper was among the councillors who believed the distributed programme was the most attractive, including the ability to have more "bang for buck" in Bluff and other suburbs.
She suggested that along with the enhancement and investment throughout the city, the priority in the CBD should be the trail and activities instead of a smaller-scale hub.
Councillors, with the exception of Grant Dermody and Ria Bond, supported the distributed approach as their preferred option and both possibilities would go out for consultation between March 17 and April 17.
After deliberations, it was expected to be included as part of the council’s long-term plan to potentially be delivered by 2028.
