On Tuesday, Invercargill councillors voted to adopt the Donovan Park Reserve Management Plan — a statutory document for the 79 hectare 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 37 hectares has already been earmarked for potential alternative use.
Mayor Nobby Clark has been a vocal advocate of freeing up the land, previously saying he had received contact from aged care and retirement developers who were interested.
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.
Chair 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.
Councillor Ian Pottinger was the sole person to vote against adoption, taking exception with a diagram included in the plan showing revocation which he felt was another step.
“I believe it contaminates this document,” he said.
Ludlow accepted Pottinger’s point, but felt the council couldn’t 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 March hearing.
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.
