A popular Chinese restaurant on Auckland’s North Shore will close today after 24 years of trading after being compulsorily acquired by the council to make way for a sweeping urban overhaul.

Love A Duck BBQ Cafe at 2 Kelham Ave, Northcote has become a local institution since it opened in 1998, famed for its Peking duck, crispy pork, and hot chilli squid.

But it’s had to cease trading after being forced to sell to Auckland Council to make way for the multi-million Northcote town centre redevelopment, which will include a mix of community, retail, commercial and residential spaces.

Love A Duck held out for as long as it could before becoming the final property in the Kelham Ave block to sell to the council in July 2021.

Payment for the building went through last month.

Love A Duck BBQ Cafe has become a local institution. Photo / Dean Purcell

But Love A Duck owner Raymond Tang says they are still waiting to be compensated for their loss of business and while they will serve a fully-booked Hong Kong-style restaurant for the final time today, they have nowhere else to go.

“The money they have paid us for the property wouldn’t even get us half the size of property [as their existing premises] anywhere,” Tang said.

 “That means our livelihood is being killed.”

He believes it will be impossible to replicate their prime location, being close to bus stops with direct links to the CBD and liberal car-parking options.

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The restaurant has been around for 24 years. Photo / Dean Purcell

And over the past 24 years, they have cultivated a loyal and beloved customer base.

“People might go to the UK or Australia but when they return, they always come back here,” Tang said.

“Some might say, ‘I have been coming here since I was a boy, now I am 36′ ... I have many customers like this.

“I will miss them very much – and they will miss us too.”

Eke Panuku Development Auckland, the city’s regeneration agency, is behind Northcote’s long-term programme of urban renewal.

The ‘Northcote Town Centre Benchmark Masterplan’ outlines eateries, shops and public spaces “while retaining a distinctly Northcote flavour”.

To pave the way for the council plans, Eke Panuku has purchased 39 buildings in the Northcote town centre, with 22 through urban renewal provisions in the Public Works Act, including Love A Duck.

“At 2 Kilham Avenue, we have been working with the tenant via mediation to agree compensation,” a spokeswoman said yesterday.

“As of November 2022, we offered a new lease as the tenant had expressed interest in continuing to trade. We will continue to discuss options with the tenant to find a way forward.”