Thirty-three years ago, the council bought a block of land at 52 School Road, Te Horo.

It was bought with the intention of creating a car park for the Te Horo Comunity Hall next door. Now the hall has been saved from the wrecking ball with phase one of a big renovation, the hall committee wants the block of land to be used for its intended purpose.

But the land is not surplus to council requirements, and the council says it might have other uses for it in the future.

The hall is owned by an incorporated society. The chair, Bryan Hall, says there’s got to be a way the land can be converted to a much-needed car park.

“Every time there’s an event at the hall, cars are parked along the berm on School Road,” Bryan says. “It makes the road through quite narrow. It’s dangerous.”

He says there are two possible options, including the council gifting the land to the hall society, or leasing it to them for a peppercorn rental.

The first option would leave the society liable for considerable costs.

The block of land, now a paddock grazed by local farmers to keep the grass down, would need work to make it fit for purpose. The cost of that work is a sticking point, one that Bryan acknowledges would be out of reach of the hall society, especially with fundraising about to begin for cladding on the hall. A big fundraising campaign last year got the hall earthquake-strengthened.

“It won’t be just a matter of clearing it and putting some gravel down,” Bryan says. “It needs resource consents, drainage, a proper basecourse and so on. It would be a big job.”

He prefers the lease option, which he says would allow the council to manage how it is used. But he believes the council should pay for the work required.

“Te Horo doesn’t have much in the way of council facilities. Even the hall is owned and funded by the community.

“So surely it’s not unreasonable to ask for a community car park.”

Bryan says he’s had recent meetings with council officers and hopes there can be a resolution soon.

The issue was brought to a head when the Waikanae Community Board requested information from the council about the land.

After officers reported to the board meeting on April 29, the board recommended that the  council “investigate lease/gifting options with the Te Horo Community Hall Society Inc, for 52 School Road, Te Horo, to enable the society to undertake, at their cost, the necessary work to transform the land into a car park and use for other community purposes”.