Community gardens in a Mount Maunganui suburb are closer to flourishing after a long process to get them off, and out of, the ground.

Omanu resident Brian Dey has been pushing for a community garden since 2021.

He said the decision to consult about the using land at the defunct bowling club on Golf Road for a community garden was great.

“We’re really pleased because we want to get on with it.

“We want to create a real community asset.”

Dey approached the council about using the land for a community garden in 2021.

The council approved the future use of the land for the garden in June 2022, but in November that year it was approached by the Mount Maunganui Golf Club asking to lease some of the land to relocate a tee.

The relocation was to reduce the likelihood of golf balls striking people or property along the Oceanbeach Road boundary with the course.

At a meeting on Monday, the commission approved public consultation on the land being used for the garden and leased by the golf club.

Brian Dey has been leading the charge for the Omanu community gardens at the Golf Rd Reserve pictured behind. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

The 2,444m2 of land would allow the 50 garden beds to be built if the group is granted a licence to occupy by the council. The golf club would lease 1548m2 of land.

During the meeting, Dey said he was extremely disappointed with the unnecessary delays.

He urged the commission to “get cracking” and issue them a licence to occupy.

Speaking after the meeting, Dey said initially one of the garden committee’s major concerns was gardeners being hit by shanked golf shots from the tee.

The land allocated to the gardens meant they were no longer in danger of shanked shots, he said.

“We don't mind people playing golf.”

One thing the group did want was for the golf course not to use toxic sprays on the area near them because the spray drift could be hazardous to people and the gardens, said Dey.

Council strategic planning and partnerships, spaces and places manager Ross Hudson’s report to council said the golf club intended to make the area safe for the community garden with planted barriers.

Consultation will occur into using the Golf Road Reserve for community gardens and a golf tee. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston asked Hudson if there were issues with spray drift.

Hudson replied that there was an “innate element of risk”.

If the lease were to occur there would be provision in it to minimise the risk to the community garden, he said.

This included the time the club could use sprays and the planted barriers.

Commission chair Anne Tolley said having been to course she accepted there was a “risk to human life and limb” from the current tee.

The club was trying to find the best way to resolve it and the proposed shared arrangement was a sensible solution, she said.

“We look forward to seeing the community garden grow and want to thank the [garden] committee for their patience as we've worked our way through this over the last couple of years.”

Once public consultation was complete a decision would made in the new year. The bowling club building would also be demolished to make way for the gardens.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.