Te Puna residents fear for the future of their historic war memorial hall because a roundabout is planned for the site.
A roundabout at the intersection of State Highway 2 and Minden Rd in Te Puna would help improve driver safety at the busy road, the NZ Transport Agency said. Timing for construction of the roundabout would be announced later this year.
Beth Bowden, well known locally as knowledgeable in community history, said the hall was built by volunteers on land donated by the local Armstrong family soon after World War I.
"The history is well bedded into those of us who have been in Te Puna for some time.
"I'm extremely concerned about it and am keen to hear what the rest of the community has to say. I can't see why we can't have both the roundabout and the hall, but that's dependent on re-siting it."
Ms Bowden said the hall should be treated with "great respect".
"All the people who returned from the war built the hall."
Rosaleen Holmes, Te Puna War Memorial Hall committee member, said she did not want the hall to disappear and moving the hall could be an option.
"It's a nice, traditional hall so it would be nice to incorporate some of the original features into a building that will last for another 90 years. The intersection is dangerous and something needs to be done about it, but I think we need to be careful when considering the hall."
Te Puna Heartlands committee and Te Puna War Memorial Hall committee member Jo Gravit said a solution that best suited the community was needed.
"The community is very supportive of having the safety of the intersection improved. We're not pushing that the hall has to stay where it is, but it's about how we look forward. The original hall is coming up to 100 years old, we want to talk about what will happen to that building."
Te Puna Heartlands chairman Richard Comyn said any new site for the hall would need to be carefully considered as the current location was central to both sides of Te Puna and for this to change would be detrimental to half the community.
NZ Transport Agency highways manager Brett Gliddon said a decision about the hall's future and its location needed to be made to progress the design phase of the proposed roundabout.
He said it was likely the hall would need to be moved. The agency, along with project partners Western Bay of Plenty District Council, would engage with the community and key stake holders in coming months as the design progressed, Mr Gliddon said.