The imminent demolition of three 1935 Art Deco houses in St Heliers is upsetting a lot of people.

Three years ago nearly 100 people wrote submissions when the proposed Turua Street development went notified. Out of the blue, in August this year the submitters received a brief letter from the outgoing Auckland City Council saying that the development had now gone non-notified. It was news to the submitters that the Environment Court had in the interim axed the period buildings ‘character defining’ status, hence enabling the developer to advance his plans without a public hearings process.

As I said in the New Zealand Herald, I’m not about to lie in front of the bulldozers. The reality is the developer has legally been granted permission to develop the entire eastern side of Turua Street and lets now work alongside him and ensure we get a great outcome for St Heliers.

However the new council does need to improve how it works with the likes of heritage advocates. They are not the enemy. They deserve greater respect and that starts with better communication. As a council we also need to have a fresh look at what is heritage and what is character defining.

Click here to read the NZ Herald article: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/local-government/news/article.cfm?c_id=250&objectid=10687851