Tired of seeing demotion of heritage house in the Queen’s Park neighbourhood? Sick of unsympathetic alterations to houses in the neighbourhood? If so, the city want to hear from you.

As part of the Queen’s Park neighbourhood heritage study, the city is holding a Speak Up About Heritage event on Saturday, Nov. 21 from noon to 3 p.m. at Centennial Lodge in Queen’s Park. In addition to information boards, the day features presentations at 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m., plus opportunities to talk with members of the working group.

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The Queen’s Park working group is seeking input from the community about the draft principles and strategies it has developed for deterring demolitions in the neighbourhood and encouraging respectful renovations to heritage homes.

The principles state that most of the existing buildings and landscape features contribute to the heritage character of the neighbourhood and should be retained insofar as it is practical to do so, and new construction or renovations that replace or alter existing buildings or causes change to the existing landscape should be conditional on its compatibility with the heritage character of the neighbourhood.

The draft strategies developed by the working group are to: identify and define the heritage character of the neighbourhood; provide a variety of financial and non-financial incentives to encourage the retention and restoration/renovation of existing buildings and landscape elements that contribute to the heritage character of the neighbourhood; develop mechanisms, including regulations that prevent, or policies that deter, the demolition of existing buildings and landscape elements that contribute to the heritage character of the neighbourhood; and encourage support for heritage conservation by providing easy-to-access information and enhanced communication for residents and other interested parties.

The Speak Up About Heritage event also include prize draws and a free hotdog for the first 50 people. If you can’t make it to the event, but still want to provide input contact the city at 604-527-4532 or plnpost@newwestcity.ca.