Clean up of Picton's Nelson Square could cost up to $15,000 after protest

Damage to Picton's Nelson Square, caused by a three-week-long occupation, is not as bad as previously thought. Photo / Supplied

Damage to Picton's Nelson Square, caused by a three-week-long occupation, is not as bad as previously thought.

But the aftermath of the anti-mandate protest is still going to cost up to $15,000 to get the square back to its original state.

The Marlborough District Council last week said in a report that the occupation of Nelson Square by the Freedom Convoy "is and will continue" to have a detrimental effect on the reserve. It said significant turf remediation would be required.

But council parks and open spaces manager Jane Tito said the update was written while the occupation was still taking place.

By the time it was received by councillors, the occupation had finished.

Protesters left Nelson Square on March 3, prompted by the chaotic scenes in the capital the night before.

"Of greater concern perhaps is the prolonged parking of large heavy vehicles at the base of the larger trees around the perimeter of the reserve," the council report said.

"Compaction and continual pressure on feeder roots and covering the area within the drip zone by vehicles will have an effect on the health of the tree."

But Tito said the area was left in a much better condition than they had previously thought.

"That was what we were worried about, but it doesn't seem to be as bad as we anticipated. Park staff have been down there, and now we understand what we're dealing with ...

"We're quite happy with it. Happy as in it is only going to cost between $10,000 to $15,000. But it's still a heck of a lot more than we would like to spend on it ... we wouldn't have had to spend anything if no-one was there.

"It was in much better shape than we anticipated. While vehicles do compact the soil, which is the biggest hurdle, it wasn't as bad as we expected," she said.

Most of that $10,000 to $15,000 cost was for grass seed, Tito said.

She said seed had already been scattered. The square was closed to the public to provide time – up to three weeks – for the grass to grow and get established.

"There's a bit of rain around and the temperature is just right, so it should all work out," she said.

She said they had to get an arborist to take down a flag from one of the trees, but otherwise they were confident any damage to trees was not as bad as they anticipated.

Tito said the protesters raked the ground when they left, in an attempt to clean up. The council also collected a "room full" of hay when they went back and raked the area as well.