A new community garden will be created at Banks Hall Reserve in Mount Maunganui following approval by Tauranga City Council on Monday.

The proposal by Mount Maunganui Lions Club to create a garden on May Street was approved by TCC, which agreed that a community garden is the most appropriate use for the land – for now.

David Peart, Brian Dey, Jim Burch and Leigh Pettigrew from Mount Maunganui Lions Club at the site of the planned community garden.

The garden is expected to take up about 40 -45 per cent of the current available space that is at present under developed and consequently under-utilised.

Councillor Murray Guy says the garden is an opportunity to develop May Street.

'It's an ideal spot for a community garden.

'Everything has been done properly, it just makes sense.”

Murray says May Street is a very valuable piece of land and it is yet to be decided whether or not this is the right use for that land in the future.

'Things change over time and there could be a better opportunity in the future.”

'It's an appropriate place for it in the meantime.”

He says the garden is suitable for all ages and cultures.

'What could be better than that?”

Mayor Stuart Crosby was happy to support the proposal.

'I can see it being actually quite a useful use of that land at the moment.”

Mount Maunganui Lions Club distributed 2000 letters to residents in Mount Maunganui from Clyde Street north and found no negative submissions were made from the properties around the reserve.

A proposed figure to fund the community garden is yet to be decided.