The hammer has fallen on the Cromwell Memorial Hall.
After years of indecision and debate, the Cromwell Community Board on Tuesday agreed to close the hall without delay and prepare it for demolition in July or August.
The Central Otago District Council decided last year the hall would be replaced with a new $16 million hall and events centre on a lakeside site, with a $6 million museum next to it.
The board had been reluctant to close the doors of the hall until more details of the new development become available later this year.
When property manager Garreth Robinson recommended in March the hall be closed for good on May 2, the board decided to leave the recommendation "lying on the table" until it had those details.
But since then, bookings had dried up and the users all found somewhere else to meet.
Project manager Darren Penketh recommended on Tuesday the hall be closed immediately to avoid meeting further costs of about $1500 a month.
