Councillors considered the proposal in the non-public part of Monday's full council meeting and released their decision yesterday.
It confirmed the council had agreed to convert Jetty St, between Cumberland and Vogel Sts, into a pedestrian mall, to be known as the Jetty St Pedestrian Mall.
Vehicles would be prohibited from the area, with limited exceptions for residents and trade and service vehicles, while access was maintained for emergency services as required.
The decision was in line with the recommendation of the council's hearings committee earlier this month.
Committee chairwoman Cr Kate Wilson said when contacted yesterday she was looking forward to the change.
‘‘I'm quite excited by the potential the adjoining landowners see in the change in that area.''
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull was also excited, saying the development would be ‘‘one more step in the resurrection of the whole area''.
‘‘It will just make it a more user-friendly part of town,'' he said.
The hearings committee's recommendation came despite initial concerns within the three-person panel - also featuring Crs Mike Lord and Hilary Calvert - about safety fears raised by the Fire Service.
Cr Calvert was also accused of making an ‘‘inappropriate'' approach to the Otago Regional Council.
She had sent an email that sought to gather a list of motorists affected by the change, before legal advice scuppered her plan.
Cr Wilson said yesterday the Fire Service's concerns had been resolved once additional information was provided, and Cr Calvert's email ultimately had no bearing on the committee's deliberations.
All three committee members were clear about the need to restrict themselves to information presented at the hearing, and reached consensus on a recommendation to the council, she said.
‘‘It was a good process.'' A public appeal process would now follow, with any appeals lodged considered by the Environment Court.
If none were received by the end of January, the closure of the affected portion of Jetty St would follow almost immediately.
