Alternative uses of land adjacent to Maidstone Park to be explored

Published on 05 June 2025

During yesterday’s full Council meeting (4 June), a supplementary report was tabled to guide councillors as they debated the recommendations from the 21 May 2025 Policy Committee to Council for adoption.

The recommendations made at that meeting related to approval for officers to commence lease negotiations for land adjacent to Maidstone Park with the Upper Hutt Bowling Club.

The report provided elected members with additional information, available to the Policy Committee, but not in the minutes, for all councillors so they could fully consider issues raised about the decision-making process and the application of Council’s Standing Orders.

After due consideration, councillors voted against proceeding with lease negotiations.

Council officers will now investigate and report back to Council on potential alternative uses for the land and will delay decisions on its future until the new triennium.

Council first considered alternative uses of the land in 2018 but rejected the proposals received at the time. A fresh Expressions of Interest (EOI) process commenced in September 2023.

The EOI were ranked, giving priority to proposals that would produce a return to the Council and/or did not require any Council investment.

Council initially ranked a proposal from ProGolf as the highest, with the second-highest ranked proposal coming from Upper Hutt Bowling Club.

When ProGolf withdrew its proposal, Council officers opened talks with Upper Hutt Bowling Club.

At the Council meeting on 11 December 2024, Council agreed to consult under section 138 of the Local Government Act 2002 on a proposal to lease the land to Upper Hutt Bowling Club.

Public consultation took place between 27 January and 24 February 2025.

The consultation was conducted through Council’s Let’s Kōrero engagement website, receiving 39 online submissions and two hard copy submissions. 

A consultation report was presented to the Policy Committee on 2 April 2025, and some submitters verbally presented their submissions.

A decision-making report was presented to the Policy Committee on 21 May 2025, which recommended that Council confirm its intention to proceed to negotiate a lease of the land.

Following Council’s 4 June meeting, alternative options will be explored.