Botanic Garden plans new propagation area

The Dunedin City Council is seeking consent to build new nursery facilities to replace the ageing glasshouses and propagation areas of the Dunedin Botanic Garden.

An application to the council says the new buildings would be built on land that is in the town belt but managed as part of the garden.

The project would mean establishing a new plant nursery and propagation buildings on the east side of Lovelock Ave, north of the Opoho Bowling Club, to replace the garden's existing facilities, which are no longer suitable.

The original plan was to include an administration building and workshop on the site, but financial constraints meant the proposal was more limited, the application says.

The plans include the construction of areas for propagation, glasshouses, shade areas, standout areas, an office, a boiler and recycling facilities.

The existing glasshouse and propagation facilities, and the existing buildings on the site where the new buildings would go, would be demolished as part of the project.

A proposed second stage of the project would include bus parking and car parking on the west side of Lovelock Ave, to upgrade existing facilities.

The new buildings would be visible as a series of gabled 6m-high roofs from Lovelock Ave, screened by extensive planting, the application said.

Submissions on the proposal were open until March 20, and the application was expected to be heard some time in April.

Council parks and recreation services manager Mick Reece said tenders for the work would be sought once consent was gained, and only then would the full cost of the project be known, but the money was to come from existing council budgets.

Plans had been in place for several years, but had been revisited after the council's decision not to realign Lovelock Ave, he said.

He hoped, if consent was gained, work could begin on the project next year.

- debbie.porteous@odt.co.nz