However, in an "interim plan'' the majority of the cape is earmarked to become ‘‘a communal recreation area'', council recreation manager Erik van der Spek says.
"It's a mix of land at the moment, but certainly how the community feels about it is it should be preserved as a recreation reserve,'' he said.
"So that's where we want to transition to.
"It's a mismatch of a lot of different parcels [at present], a whole lot of bits and pieces, but the intent is to turn it into a communal recreation area.''
There are two sections of endowment land included in the mix of designations.
The 5.8ha Forrester Heights and a sliver of land from the Test St entrance towards the blue penguin colony, taking in the quarry, "which is supposed to be used to generate revenue for the harbour''.
Forrester Heights, in particular, had "no real recreational plans for it''.
The council's Landscape Enhancement Concept: Cape Wanbrow Reserve from February 2015 shows a recommendation for Forrester Heights to be planted out in parts in "native woodlands'' to create a "visual buffer and transition between any future use and the reserve''.
Mr van der Spek said the concept plan outlined a long-term transition of the bulk of land on Cape Wanbrow towards a mix of native planting, which would be community-led, "amenity exotic trees'', such as perhaps oak trees, preservation of the historic gun emplacements, cycle tracks and, notably, a move away from its previous use as a commercial pine tree plantation.
For roughly the past 60 years, Cape Wanbrow had been used as a pine tree plantation, but when planting for the next crop began last winter only half the original area was planted.
This was expected to be the last time the cape was used as a pine tree plantation.
In part, because of the scale of the work required to replant the cape in native plants and exotic trees, it was expected to remain planted in pine for up to another 30 years.
"We can't get from here, just having harvested it, to covered in recreational-type facilities .. in a short time frame,'' Mr van der Spek said.
