Committing to our Beliefs

Trevor Lord. 19 June 2008

Much was spoken in the past year or so about the tragedy of Royds Street, or more latterly, the Skellerup House. After all, what right does a developer have to wantonly destroy such valued heritage? Well, the realities are quite bluntly that they had every right to impose their taste, values, and commercial interests on the property they lawfully owned. In reality, even with the most formal of existing protection under the City Plan or the HPT, these recognitions have insufficient merit or teeth to sway the tide of a determined man with ownership and money on his side.

If one has a hard look at the Royds Street saga, the only bit that sticks in the throat more than similar cases was the deliberate additional tactic of engineered deception that the home was going to be cared for and respected by the new owner. It was little more than a con job and the rest is history.

As owners of worthy heritage homes, we have inherited a duty to pass on these structures and any associated social history known about them, in good order to successive owners.

A ‘nice family’ buying the house is simply not enough assurance to discharge our obligations and we must never forget the Royds Street Con when considering this point.

So, how do we proceed?

The matter is disarmingly simple…put a Heritage Covenant on the title to protect the dwelling in perpetuity. Under certain circumstances the City will even pay for this and draft it all up free of charge!!

The reality is that such a process is the ONLY true safeguard of the property and its significant sight lines and interior/exterior features. It allows a process for normal maintenance and upkeep, and even alteration, but certainly will put the brakes on any stupid or destructive wishes of future owners!!

If it is all that easy, where is the catch and why has no one raised this earlier?

Perhaps in addressing the latter firstly, until recently there was no apparent need to worry, as all reasonably older villas and bungalows were pretty much sought after and loved. That is no longer the case and fashions have markedly changed in the past 2-3 years as a love of the swanky but quickly-dating Tuscan or mock Bauhaus styles wooed a new generation of younger and middle aged buyers alike, all the to detriment of heritage. City development pressures have compounded this and it is all bad for heritage homes. Thus it is that the mechanism of protection is now a revisited tool to address our threatened domestic heritage that has long been in place as an option.

And the downsides? Well, here is the rub…New Zealand is still immature in its appreciation of heritage and numerous are the naysayers that will remind you that a covenant will limit the (development) options of future owners and thus the value of the property. This is, of course, a matter of cultural adjustment and in a few years it will all change with houses just has it has long done with antique furniture in NZ. Go to Sydney and try to buy and pull down one of the tatty old terrace houses in the fashionable Balmain…fat chance!! What is more, the market line up to pay in the millions for a restoration prospect that looks the same from the street when it is finished!!

It will happen here one day, and the mayor is pushing it right now…all power to him!!

What does is matter to us anyway…it is only money and which of us would see the treasured restoration project ultimately handed over with no security, all for the sake of money? It has all gone quiet!!! Hello? Golly…is it not time we had the bravery to put our commitment where our beliefs are?

By the way, how many of the homes in our group are covered by heritage covenants? Let’s see a show of hands…I know of just TWO.

OK, well my wife and I have concluded it is time to ‘put up or shut up’ in this matter, having invested over 23 years into this project to date. Accordingly we have applied to the City for our home to have a heritage covenant placed on its title. It will come at a price initially but be treasured later, of that we have every confidence.

Sorry Mr Parkside, no joy at our place now!!…but don’t feel too bad as there are still currently plenty more nice unprotected heritage ‘morsels’ to devour for your next Oamaru stone box!! Be quick, though, as the climate is changing fast as heritage home owners act more decisively to protect their properties with the simple legal aid of a heritage covenant.