Residential development is under way at Temple View in Hamilton. The Mormon Church have applied to Hamilton City Council for resource consent to demolish 11 teacher houses and replace them with 16 new dwellings.

The Mormon Church has filed resource consent applications with Hamilton City Council to demolish 11 historic teacher houses as part of its residential development plans.

The applications were filed in early May but council staff have yet to decide whether to publicly notify the applications.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Trust Board has applied to replace the demolished teacher houses with 16 new houses and to subdivide to create 16 residential lots.

None of the buildings earmarked for demolition are listed heritage items in the district plan.

City councillor Dave Macpherson said the applications were for non-complying activity under the district plan and were of interest to the public.

"I think given that it's contentious and it's non-complying, not only should it be notified, it damn well ought to be," Macpherson said.

If the resource consent applications were not notified it removed the rights of the public to comment on the applications or seek conditions, he said.

"It would make an absolute mockery of our district plan and its activity rules if an application were to be non-complying yet still be able to avoid a public hearing.

"At the end of day they [trust board] may or may not get a consent to do the work but at the very least the public who have an interest, like the residents out there who want to have a say, should be able to."

City councillor Martin Gallagher said the trust board's resource consent applications should be publicly notified.

"Given the high public interest in the development it's entirely appropriate for the matter to be subject to proper public notification," Gallagher said.

Hamilton City Council and Waipa District Council have already granted resource consents for the demolition of the boys' dormitories, health centre and engineering block at the now-defunct Church College.

Extensive roadworks are also being carried out along Tuhikaramea Rd as part of the church's wider plans at Temple View which include building a new stake centre, otherwise known as a church.

The church's Temple View Project website said the roading upgrade would allow for safe access to the new stake centre and the rest of the campus site.