KEY POINTS:
Auckland City Mayor John Banks is searching for a compromise in the heritage battle that has got hundreds of residents demanding protection of old homes in many of the city's affluent suburbs.
More than 750 people have responded to plans by the council to lift demolition controls on 4128 of the 8112 houses in the Residential 2 zone covering Remuera, Epsom, Parnell, Herne Bay, Mt Albert, St Heliers and Kohimarama. The overwhelming majority are opposed to the plans.
Mr Banks yesterday issued invitations to heritage groups and three Remuera lawyers at the centre of the battle to attend a workshop at the Auckland Town Hall next Monday.
He said the aim was to reach a consensus that was "sound, sensible and legally sustainable".
But while the lawyers were happy to meet and discuss the issues with a view to a compromise, a spokeswoman for heritage groups called on the council to reinstate demolition controls for all 8112 houses in the zone.
Kate Tolmie-Bowden, of Parnell Heritage, said the various groups wanted the demolition controls to stay on the understanding people could still obtain resource consent to demolish old homes that did not meet a character and heritage test.
"It might be hard, but this is worth fighting for," she said.
The lawyers - Derek Nolan, Tim Burcher and Brian Latimour - opposed new rules introduced by the previous councils requiring people to obtain resource consent before removing or demolishing pre-1940 homes in the zone. They have lodged an appeal in the Environment Court. Mr Nolan said he had always been willing to discuss the issues and could not see why a consensus could not be reached.
Mr Burcher said he hoped both sides could understand each other a bit better which would give way to some compromise.
Last week, Mr Burcher lobbied Citizens & Ratepayers councillors by reminding them in a letter of their election promise about individual property rights "and to support the rejection of this plan change".
"I take great exception to other people telling me what the best usage of my land is, when until this change was stealthily brought in by the council in 2005, all of us have had the right to demolish (ie 30 per cent or more) or remove the dwelling on our property," he told them.
C&R councillors approved a secret deal in March drawn up by council planning general manager John Duthie and city planning manager Penny Pirrit that would have lifted demolition controls for the entire Residential 2 zone. The deal was stopped by Mr Banks at the eleventh hour after a tip-off by the Herald.
Meanwhile, the Auckland Regional Council has stepped into the battle, saying it does not have confidence in the criteria used to exclude homes from demolition controls. The so-called "garden suburb" test did not appear robust and applying the methodology was not transparent.
The ARC has also applied to be part of the court action.
In one submission, Epsom resident David Nalden said the council's poor record protecting heritage buildings undermined public confidence.
"One only need look at the many incongruous and unedifying contemporary structures in the city and suburbs and recall the buildings of aesthetic merit which were disfigured or destroyed to make way for them," he said.
