A clear majority of people voting in Amsterdam’s referendum on the city’s plans to regulate its green spaces in the coming years appear to have voted “no”.

With 61% of the votes counted, some 59% said they were against the plan, 35% were for and the rest spoiled their ballots, the Parool reported on Friday.

The paper said 37.5% of those eligible to vote – which includes foreign nationals with more than five years of residency – actually did.

A preliminary result is due on Saturday but the vote will not be finalised until June 14.

The Amsterdam verdict on the council’s green plans is not binding and it will be up to officials to decide whether or not to accept it. City planning chief Reinier van Dantzig said on social media on Thursday night that it will be up to the full city council to decide how to proceed.

“I will continue to work for a green city and affordable housing,” he said.

Opponents of the plan say it does not go far enough, leaves some green spaces vulnerable to development, and includes roadside verges and artificial grass sports pitches in its calculations of how much green the Dutch capital has.