A lot of work had been done on the plan, which fitted the total picture of the park and he was disappointed that the actions to date could see the trust go elsewhere. "It is not a good situation." the mayor said.
The committee agreed in October to approve in principle the location of the railway and sawmill and to refer the plan to the park's user groups forum. Issues raised at the forum included whether the bush railway and sawmill was a suitable activity for the park.
Park manager Ric Balfour said that having assessed issues raised at the forum and by council staff, the trust had been told to reconsider the proposal and decide whether it wanted to pursue the venture.
The committee will consider the bush railway proposal next year once the trust had responded.
The forum sparked a five-page question-and-answer response from the trust, together with letters from users including Te Matai Motorsport representing clubs using the park's motorsport zone and the Bay of Plenty branch of the NZ Deerstalkers Association.
Deerstalkers president Dean Maisey said deerstalkers and the Association of Sports and Recreation Clubs had repeatedly written to the council about the vague and generalised wording of the park's vision, which did not adequately reflect the purpose of the park.
Mr Maisey said the key words in the vision statement were "adventure" and "education" without even a mention of sport or recreation. "We do not believe this park was ever intended to be a passive entertainment park for tourists ... the Bush Railway and Old Sawmill Trust proposal must be considered a secondary infill activity at best."