Selling car park no-brainer: Mayor

A local board is fighting vehemently to keep it, but Auckland mayor Phil Goff says selling a car park is a no-brainer and it’s time to move on.

The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board is against the proposed disposal of a car park at 19 Anzac Rd in Browns Bay.

But Goff said he didn’t know why it was still being debated.

‘‘Everybody understands that the council’s got to use its money wisely and we have a whole lot of money tied up in things that we ought not to have our money tied up in,’’ Goff said.

‘‘I think we’ve debated this to death. I know there are different views on it and the board has a quite clear view on it, but in the end I don’t see why, essentially, we are locking up our investment in an area that is being used by [a] private commercial business.’’

It’s believed the car park is widely used by customers of the nearby New World, and the supermarket has expressed interest in purchasing the site.

‘‘In the end, we need to make a decision and to me the obvious decision is, if the supermarket uses it, the supermarket wants to buy it, let’s realise our value out of the land and put it back into something in the community.’’

Goff said every local board in Auckland was being asked to contribute surplus land.

Disposal of the car park lies with the Governing Body.

SAM HEWAT Auckland mayor Phil Goff says disposing of a 54-park car park in Browns Bay makes sense.