Inner city gardens face closure

An organic vegetable patch in a central Auckland park could face the chop in favour of a restful English-style park.

Auckland City councillor Maire Leadbeater last night failed to overturn a recommendation from the parks and recreation committee that a new development plan for Basque Park exclude provision for a community garden.

Instead, the issue was sent back to the Hobson Community Board, which has already expressed a preference to exclude the garden from any redevelopment plan.

One of the 25 or so people who tend the organic plots, Peter Wham, told councillors the garden was adding to the culture of a sustainable Auckland.

A rich diversity of flora and fauna had grown from soil slowly built up from clay dumped from the Aotea Centre site, he said.

But one local resident, Paul Shallard, said that while he supported what the gardeners did, there was no place for a "rumble, tumble, run-down, weed-ridden garden" in a public park.