Growing concern among homeowners over policy
Residents whose homes could be affected by a new heritage policy in Lower Hutt are becoming frustrated over the council’s reluctance to share its plans.
Late last year, the council notified dozens of homeowners on three adjacent streets in Petone that their properties were being considered for heritage zoning.
The council came under fire for a lack of detail in the proposal by residents concerned about how the policy might affect an owner’s ability to renovate and resell.
A group representing residents says the council has more areas in its sights, with people in Moera and a second Petone locality having been delivered similar notices.
Voluntary Heritage Listing Group convener Phil Barry said residents of the affected areas were anxious. They wished to clarify which areas had been shortlisted, but the council had been unwilling to provide that information.
‘‘We’d like the council to name the areas being considered, so we can help residents understand the impact of their homes being listed in the District Plan as heritage properties,’’ he said.
‘‘They argue it’s to protect people’s privacy, but the reality is it will be made public when the draft plan is published. The sooner people are aware of what potential effects on their properties are, the better.’’
The council declined to provide a list of suburbs or say how many properties might be affected. It said the draft list would be released following feedback from homeowners in the first three months of this year.
Barry said residents should decide for themselves whether they wanted to opt in or out of the council’s heritage programme. ‘‘Heritage buildings have regulations tied to them, affecting what you can and cannot do to a home. It could become costly, or you could find you cannot do things like install solar panels or remove a chimney.’’
Urban historian Ben Schrader said heritage statuses tended to focus on the street frontages.
‘‘Even though there are some restrictions, you can change internal features and so on.
‘‘In some cases, it can increase the value of properties in an area. In Thorndon, for example, historical values strongly appeal to homeowners and people wanting to live there.’’
Schrader said that in the last decade, New Zealanders had come around to protecting heritage buildings.
‘‘You don’t have to live in a place like [people] did when it was built – you can have modern kitchens and heating, and preserve heritage features at the same time,’’ he said. like kitchens