A move towards repurposing land at a large Invercargill reserve has cleared another hurdle.
Yesterday, Invercargill councillors voted to adopt the Donovan Park Reserve Management Plan — a statutory document for the 79ha park on the northern outskirts of the city.
In doing so, councillors paved the way for next steps to be taken in seeking the removal of reserve status for the area, of which 37ha has already been earmarked for potential alternative use.
Just 26 submissions were received during the second round of consultation for the management plan, with four supporting the sale of some land and 12 not supporting revocation.
Mr Clark questioned how much weight should be put on those given the low numbers.
Chairman Darren Ludlow believed there had been some consultation fatigue due to the reserve also requiring a master plan — consulted on in late 2023 — plus confusion regarding discussions of "carving up" the park, which was separate.
Cr Ian Pottinger was the sole person to vote against adoption, taking exception to a diagram included in the plan showing revocation which he felt was another step.
"I believe it contaminates this document."
Mr Ludlow accepted Cr Pottinger’s point, but felt the council could not get to where it was by ignoring what it had heard.
Consultation ran for two months between December and February, with four submitters presenting at a hearing last month.
Points raised in submissions included active transport, food resilience, wetlands and ponds, and options for a sports hub.
The decision to revoke reserve status was approved in November, but required the management plan to be adopted before it could proceed to the next step.
There are still a number of hoops to jump through for the council including consultation with key stakeholders, the creation of a proposal and ministerial sign-off.
