Park Approvals and Bookings
Council sometimes gives formal approval to people or groups who want to use council-owned parks and reserves. These approvals may take the form of a lease, or licence/concession and can include:
- Commercial activity on a park or reserve (e.g., a night market, mobile vendors trading on a park or reserve, commercial shuttling of recreational users)
- Creating or installing something (e.g., network utility infrastructure, sports facilities and clubrooms)
- Using an area for an organised recreational activity not provided for through the usual Council booking process (e.g., sports fields or venues booking process).
The following agreements are generally used in the following circumstances:
- Concession or licence - activity that doesn’t prohibit other parks and reserve users from occupying the same area, nothing remaining on site overnight and often intermittent or short-term access
- Lease - medium to long term use that requires exclusive use of a particular area (e.g., a building)
- Adopt a Spot agreements – where community groups, schools and individuals agree to enhance and take care of an area of land.
Not all applications for approval are granted, as we must weigh up requests against our responsibilities as protectors of the land.
Your application will first be assessed by our Parks and Property staff who will consult with our other specialists about any potential impacts of the activity.
Fees and payments
Council’s fees and charges are listed here.
Annual rent for a lease is generally calculated by way of a market rental valuation and is charged out at a commercial or community rate depending on the operator status.
For Monthly or periodic payments, you will be required to complete an application to open a customer account which will involve credit and reference checks.
How to apply for landowner approval
Application forms for landowner approvals can be found here:
Email your application form and supporting documents to customer.service@ncc.govt.nz.
What we don’t approve
We don’t process applications for:
- Resource or building consents
- Offsite mitigation that has been proposed as part of a resource consent
- Requests for land not owned by the Council, such as private land.
More information
If you require more information please contact the Parks Team: askparksandfacilities@ncc.govt.nz
Bookings
To make bookings for our facilities, parks and reserves, make an application via Our Venues page.
Grazing of Livestock in Nelson’s Reserves
If you wish to graze livestock on public land within Nelson, you must seek permission and enter into a lease agreement with the Council. Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:
• The location where the animals will graze.
• The adequacy of fencing to contain the livestock.
• The applicant’s qualifications and experience in handling the animals.
• Potential for the animals to cause a nuisance to the public.
To apply for permission to graze livestock in a park, reserve, or road reserve, complete the Expression of Interest (Grazing) form, and email it to enquiry@ncc.govt.nz.
Please note: There is a fee associated with each lease agreement.
