That is where the blower for the AC and heater is. It could be the motor or the fan making noise. It is probably independent from the actual AC system. I don't know if the blower motor is the same as for A2s, but the motor for my 87 Golf has needed replaced several times due to noise.
If it stays quiet, don't give it another thought. If it keeps making noise, go as long as you can put up with it and then replace it. Of course, you can check to see if the fan is hitting something, but in my experience it has always been bad bearings in the motor.
The last fan I got was from a junkyard. $20 I think. I went with used because the rebuilds I had tried didn't last.
Jason