Aid centre seeks reprieve

By WAYNE THOMPSON

WARKWORTH - A family centre that helps 2800 people a year is pleading with its council landlord to let it stay in a cottage that is to be removed for Warkworth's riverbank development.

The manager of Homebuilders Family Centre, Irene de Haan, said the group was grateful to the Rodney District Council for letting it have the premises rent-free for three years.

It was also used by Parentport, which arranged for emergency housekeeping, by the Seniornet Internet instruction group and for budget advisory service meetings.

Mrs de Haan said the council had turned down her request last month to reconsider its decision to make the next stage of the riverbank development the clearing of buildings from the riverbank between Percy St and Lucy Moore Park.

The cottage and a neighbouring building would be sold by tender and a landscaping and grassing plan prepared.

Mrs de Haan said she could not understand why the house could not remain because it did not block the building of a river path. It was also uncertain whether the site would be needed for a proposed $3 million community centre.

Peter Thompson of the riverbank enhancement group declined to comment, saying the issue had been blown out of proportion. But he told the council last month that the cottage did not fit in.

The Warkworth representative on the council, John Wynyard, said it was likely that the group could stay on in the cottage until June.