Council says Plunket will profit from Kensington Hall sale
The underutilised Kensington Hall in Petone has been earmarked for sale by a Hutt City Council finance committee report. The report recommends profits from the sale be directed to relocating Plunket Petone, which is currently situated in the building adjacent to Kensington Hall. HCC leisure active manager Marcus Sherwood says ?the preferred option? is that Plunket move. ?The buildings are an earthquake risk and the cost of strengthening them to the required standard is very high. ?The alternative is to relocate them for free and we have resolved that any proceeds from the sale of the hall would go to the relocation of Plunket,? says Mr Sherwood. However, Plunket?s Lower Hutt area manager Esther Read says no final decision has been reached over relocation. ?We have had meetings with the council, but nothing has been finalised. ?The council has been helpful, but we are still in discussion,? says Mrs Read. Plunket Petone is presently being rejuvenated by a rise in newborns in the area and has recently formed a new committee. ?It?s exciting for Petone, we have got full time staff there and numbers are up from this time last year. ?We definitely want to retain a presence here,? she says. The Petone Central Bowling Club has expressed an interest in purchasing both properties to create a better thoroughfare. The Petone Lions Club used the hall until membership dwindled and the group ended its longstanding community involvement. The Wellington Classic Motorcycle Club and Manchester Unity Friendly Society are the only other users of the hall. The Hutt City Council owns 14 facilities that can be described as community halls and all others, besides Pomare Senior Citizens Hall, are well utilised by the community. The Council?s Community Halls Review in July this year said, ?There is evidence that halls are not meeting the modern needs of our communities. There appears to be less call for large barn like halls and a greater need for a variety of spaces, such as lounges and meeting rooms?.
