Invercargill City Council is inviting residents to have their say on the future of Donovan Park to help establish a prolonged plan.

The Donovan Park Masterplan will help inform the next 30-50 years of park use, asset renewal, and development, and help guide funding decisions. Once approved, it will inform the development of the next Donovan Park Management Plan.

Invercargill City Council Manager Parks and Recreation Caroline Rain said Donovan Park provided a significant link from Thomsons Bush through to Anderson Park and was enjoyed by many in the community.

“This is the community’s chance to have their say on how they envision the future of the reserve. We invite everyone to tell us what they do and do not like about it, what they think it is missing and what our best use of the land is.

“Donovan Park is a really special part of Invercargill city and we’d love some input into how it can be made even more so.”

The information collected will be collated and reviewed to help form the basis of master planning decisions, including economic analysis and carbon sequestration opportunities.

“Masterplans are an opportunity to make us all proud of the great resources this city has to offer.”

Donovan Park consists of 79 hectares of land and the reserve contributes significantly to the open green space of the city. It is used by many sports and recreation clubs, community groups, the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and other entities such as iwi owned and operated charitable conservation organisation Te Tapu o Tāne.

The Park is also used by visitors for walking, running, cycling and casual sport and recreation.

Council is also considering alternate land use of 37 hectares of land at Donovan Park, which could include the potential for housing development.

Consultation of the Donovan Park Masterplan is now open and will close on 15 December.

Council is also hosting a public drop-in session on 11 November for those who wish to learn more.

For more information on the Masterplan as well as your chance to have your say, go to the Council Let’s Talk page here: https://letstalk.icc.govt.nz/donovan-park

There are also several other consultations open in relation to the review of the General Policies Reserve Management Plan that can be found here: Draft General Policies Reserve Management Plan | Let’s talk Invercargill (icc.govt.nz).