A suggestion another section of Wanaka's Pembroke Park be converted to car parking has raised the ire of the long-time guardians of the reserve.
However, a Queenstown Lakes District Council spokesman said there were no immediate plans to encroach on park land.
A concept design report presented at a Wanaka Community Board meeting earlier this month proposed removing parallel parking on the southern side of Brownston St and creating 94 angled parks on the northern side, along the length of Pembroke Park, where cars already park informally on the grass verge.
The car parks formed part of a wider proposal aimed at improving traffic flow along Brownston St and promoting it as a through route.
However, the Friends of Pembroke Park, a group "established to protect the park at all costs", objected to further "biting away at the park boundary", its president, Fr Brian Fenton, said.
"Our main contention is that they're whittling away, again, the park reserve, and where will it all end? It's the thin end of the wedge.
"[Pembroke Park] is reserve land. It's bequeathed by our forebears to the delight of our town. We regard it as a jewel and I think we speak for the majority of the people of Wanaka, I don't know about business people, but I think the ordinary citizen would support the [park's] integrity being preserved."
The Friends of Pembroke Park was concerned the proposed car parks would be used by town workers, which was common at the reserve's Dungarvon St car park, where there were no time restrictions. That would contradict the park's management plan, which stipulated parking for park-users only on the reserve, Fr Fenton said.
The proposed angled parks also raised safety issues in terms of congestion along Brownston St, contrary to the council's intentions.
QLDC project manager Rob Darby said there would be no changes to Pembroke Park "in the short term". If the council did decide to pursue the proposal, public consultation and amendments to the park's management plan would be required.
