The picture of hordes of mobile coffee vendors vans taking up public parking at city netball courts is being used as an example of a loophole in the council's current policy on commercial activity at city reserves.

The vendors are licensed, but the council is unable to say who may or may not sell coffee to the winter crowds at the outdoor netball courts.

Boot camp operators using public reserves was discussed at a recent council meeting.

The activity was an example intended to gain councillor sympathy to implement a tender process to use council land for commercial activities at this week's strategy and policy committee meeting – but it left councillors unmoved.

'It's a free for all, so what?” says councillor Bill Faulkner.

'People have been complaining about this since I have been on council.”

The council is being asked to look into the issues surrounding commercial activities on council reserves because the rules have changed to only allow permitted activities to take place.

It could mean that emerging activities on reserves, like fitness boot camps, could require resource consent, says council staff.

Boot camp operators also got a mention in the discussion on charging out reserve use.

The argument that boot camp operators should contribute to the use of ratepayer funded reserves lapsed because council staff believe it will cost more to administer than it's worth.

Booking reserve use gained some traction with council policy planner Jane Barnett who says it helps avoid clashes.

'It's so we know that they are there in case someone else wants to do something in same space,” says Jane.

'It helps contractors in programming work.”

'It's about communicating and informing people that other things are on, that's the whole point of the booking thing.”

Discussion went on for over an hour with councillors resisting suggestions the council charge for more activities and asked for more evidence of issues before they are acted on.

There will be another report to the November Strategy and Policy Committee meeting.