Auckland Council is in the process of deciding the future of the former Masonic Lodge building adjacent to Salisbury Reserve in Herne Bay.
In a report to the Waitemata local board, council officers say that the Hall and land at 12 Argyle St was purchased in September 2010. A public consultation was held as to the future of the building and site in November last year.
There are two main options for the hall - whether to demolish the hall and turn the site into part of Salisbury Reserve at a cost of $50,000, or keep the building for community purposes at an ongoing cost of $15,000 per annum.
The council is recommending that they look at removing the hall as there are already enough community spaces in the local area. Public feedback was in favour of keeping the hall, but the report notes that more than half of those in favour were connected to Probus and the Ponsonby School of Dance, two current tenants of the building.
Local residents concerned about traffic, parking and noise were in favour of removing the hall, and reinstating the land as part of the reserve. Residents say there are already enough community venues in the area, including Leys Institute on Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby Community Centre, St Stephens Church, Freemans Bay Community Hall and others.
The council highlighted that turning the lodge building into a community space would also require a resource consent, at an additional cost of $75,000.
The council and local board will also consider feedback from the public about the ongoing maintenance and issues at Salisbury Reserve, and see which of them can be delivered as part of annual park maintenance, or local improvement projects.