Nine proposed historic heritage areas dropped from council list
After more than a year of extra rules for her property, Jean Dorrell’s happy to hear the area’s been dropped from a heritage plan.
Dorrell lives in Oxford St East, Fairfield, one of 32 areas Hamilton City Council in 2022 proposed as Historic Heritage Areas (HHA) under Plan Change 9.
Since then, affected properties have had controls for activities such as alteration and additions or demolition on some sites, construction of fences and walls, new buildings and relocated buildings.
But the council has now scrapped plans for nine HHAs that have “moderate” heritage values, a report to Tuesday’s strategic growth and district plan committee said.
The council’s stance followed directions from the Plan Change 9 hearings panel and the exchange of expert evidence, staff said.
Besides Oxford St (East) and the nearby Marshall St, the proposed “moderate” HHAs dropped by the council include: Augusta, Casper and Roseburg Sts; Casey Ave; Hooker Ave; Jennifer Pl; Lamont, Freemont, and Egmont Sts; Seifert St; Springfield Cres; and, Sunnyhills Ave. Oxford St (East) homeowner Jean Dorrell who with her partner David Whyte raised significant concerns about HHAs - said in an email on Monday she was happy the council was no longer pursuing her street for inclusion. But she felt the council had ignored 2022 expert advice that HHAs now being dropped should not be included in the list or needed further testing. Oxford St (East) was in the latter category.
“So if HCC had taken notice of the peer review, none of these ‘moderate’ HHAs would have been publicly notified and so 300-plus properties would not have been subject to restrictions for over 20 months,” Dorrell said.
The council confirmed on Monday evening that the nine areas had been excluded from the heritage protection plan.
Public notification of the Plan Change 9 decision, an appeal period and resolution of any appeals is due from the middle of this year.