Grey Power Otago president Jo Millar described planned application of commercial rents for the top floor of the facility under construction as a broken promise, as it reduced community access to a building touted as a library and community hub.
Mrs Millar told Dunedin city councillors yesterday there was mounting concern about a lack of information.
"So we’re talking about picket lines," she said.
"We’re talking about marches.
"We’re talking about petitions."
Mrs Millar noted councillors took the government to task about broken promises relating to plans for the new Dunedin hospital and she wondered what happened to them over "our access to the library".
She called for honesty about what had happened and where this now left community organisations.
"Can I please have some communication between the council and the community, so we can have an honest, open discussion and know where we’re going to go with this new library?"
Community leaders have said they felt betrayed when the council decided last year to lease the upper level of the South Dunedin library and community complex on a commercial lease basis.
The resolution was carried 6-4.
It is intended part of the ground floor will be for community use and meetings.
Cr Bill Acklin said the site in King Edward St came with an expectation there would be an income stream generated from one of the floors.
This would offset the cost of building the library and running it, he said.
Mrs Millar said the notion of market rents for office space came out of the blue for the community.
Cr Acklin said it appeared there had been a breakdown in communication.
Mrs Millar praised the council for the design and condition of the footpath in the vicinity of the planned library.
