Lautoka’s Shirley Park was reclaimed with the intention to contribute towards the civic development, and not meant to be a park.

This was revealed in parliament by Local Government Minister, Premila Kumar while speaking in Parliament on a motion on the petition not to rezone Shirley Park.

Kumar says under the town planning scheme, the park was developed to cater for the growing demands to modernize the western division.

She reassures the public that the petition to not rezone the park was uncalled for, as it was in the best interest of the city.

“The impact of this development will not have a major effect or impact on the public. This is because Shirley Park remains there only a portion is being used but there are 111 surrounding parks and open spaces.”

The Minister also revealed that there are currently over 65,000 tax-payers in Lautoka and only 500 objected to the development of which not all were Lautoka residents.

However, the Opposition MPs collectively maintained their stance.

The motion for parliament to debate on the review report to not rezone Shirley Park was agreed too.