The issue has been developing for the past two years, with rugby finishing later and pre-season Highlander games eating into the six months cricket was supposed to have use of the oval.
At its meeting on Tuesday, the council will consider a recommendation to spend $30,000 developing a first-class cricket wicket on grounds two and three (west of the Oval inside the fenced enclosure), while work is being done to level them, and set aside another $60,000 for future improvements (such as scoreboards and sight screens).
The money will come from resource management fund contributions.
Recreation manager Erik van der Spek said the overlap of the two seasons and the frequency of high-profile events such as pre-season Super 15 clashes were increasing, making it difficult for use of the oval.
Rugby was overlapping the cricket season by a month in recent years and the Super 15 demands meant the council was being forced into making decisions on who should use the ground.
That came to a head in February last year when rugby wanted it for a Super 15 match and North Otago cricket to defend the Hawke Cup. Neither code would give way and the council had to sort out the clash.
Mr van der Spek said North Otago rugby had now requested the oval for February 8 next year for a Super 15 pre-season game, when North Otago cricket would be hosting a Hawke Cup match.
North Otago cricket had volunteered to relocate the Hawke Cup match, so long as progress was made developing a suitable wicket on grounds two or three to prevent future clashes.
