'City's heritage character is important,' say residents
August 28, 2006

A high proportion of residents in Devonport, Northcote and Birkenhead believe it's important to protect the heritage character of their neighbourhoods and that the council should control what can and cannot be built in their streets.

These are the findings of a North Shore City Council consultation exercise which sought feedback from residents about its District Plan's provisions that protect the special character of the Residential 3: Built Heritage Zone.

In April more than 4,000 households in Devonport, Northcote and Birkenhead areas received the questionnaire asking what value they place on the heritage character of their neighbourhood and what they think the council should do to ensure its continued protection.

"Issues relating to some development proposals in the Residential 3 Zone have raised community concerns about the effectiveness of the District Plan controls that are meant to protect and maintain heritage character," says North Shore City's environmental policy and planning manager, Trevor Mackie.

"Before finalising changes to our District Plan we wanted to hear the views of the people who live in these areas," he says.

"We found that residents in this zone are generally aware of the special character of their area and are attracted to live there because of this.

"They also think that the protection of the heritage character of their home and the neighbourhood enhance the value of their property," says Mr Mackie.

"A significant number of respondents would like the council to be stricter about controlling garages and carports in the front yard and would like to see some controls around fencing," he says.

The council expects to notify changes to its District Plan relating to the Residential 3 zone in November.

Full results of the survey are available on the council's website www.northshorecity.govt.nz

ENDS

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