Heritage permitting in Saint Andrews will now be handled by the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission (SNBSC).
The municipal council handed over the process during a recent council meeting.
Mayor Brad Henderson said SNBSC already handles the permitting, with some items required to come before the planning advisory committee and the council.
“They have our planning officers,” he said during an interview with reporters. “They have the trained professionals, and it just makes sense to extend that partnership.”
Saint Andrews has a unique history, with its downtown being designated a national historic district. It maintains the loyalist grid design, as well. The ‘town plat’ received that designation in 1995.
In December, the council passed a heritage bylaw after three full readings and vote. It establishes heritage conservation zones, identifying more than 80 properties that fall under the bylaw.
Those properties were identified through three criteria:
- The building was constructed prior to 1924
- The building is registered as a local historic place on the New Brunswick Register of Historic Places on the day this bylaw was passed.
- The building is located within the town plat or Historic Business District.
“We do have a heritage board that is local residents that are appointed to a board,” Henderson said. “So, you still get that local voice in the community that will be weighing in on issues.”
Henderson said handing over the process will likely come with a learning process, but it did look at heritage bylaws in other areas and the best practices associated with the application.
He said during the meeting this was something that was “long overdue in the community.”
Alexander Gopen, the senior planner with the SNBSC, was appointed the heritage inspector. He said his role will be to triage the requests for properties that fit under the bylaw.
If a building requires a permit, he would write a report, which would be presented to the board.
“This process is administered by the heritage board, appointed by council,” he said. “Given how the by-law is structured, I expect the board will only need to meet to issue permits a few times a year.”
Gopen explained prior to the creation of the new bylaw, there was no restriction on property owners from demolishing or altering those heritage buildings.
“Some have been lost over time,” he said. “Architectural heritage is one of, but certainly not the only, defining features that gives Saint Andrews, its residents, and visitors a strong and tangible sense of place.”
He said those provide the community with a strong sense of place.
“Physical connections to history and a sense of community are the bedrock of society,” he said.
