Countdown to hall opening

The roof is now on and the interior restoration work is well underway, with heritage elements being refitted into the renovated hall.

The countdown has started to the Warkworth Town Hall opening.The hall is expected to open in November and people can place bookings from next month.

The announcement came as supporters gathered in the hall on June 2 for a ‘Roof Shout’ to celebrate the progress.

The majority of the restoration work is expected to take another two months, but stage two of the hall, which includes building an additional foyer space, toilets and a kitchen, will take longer.

Rodney Local Board chair Brenda Steele said the hall would be held as an exemplary restoration project and will attract performers from around the country once it opens.

“It will be viewed as an outstanding example of how to retrofit and earthquake strengthen a heritage building,” Ms Steele said.

The hall is also set to feature in the Auckland Heritage Festival in October. Auckland Council staff hope to open the hall to the public for the event, with information panels detailing the hall’s history and the restoration process.

Planning for the grand opening is also starting, with the future mayor tipped to cut the ribbon and a variety of performances promised.

People will be able to book the hall with dates starting in November, via Council’s online hall booking system which launches next month.