Alterations and Demolition
Alteration of Heritage Properties
Designated properties
- Staff reviews the application to determine if the alteration impacts heritage attributes. If no, a review is not required.
- If yes, staff consult Heritage Oshawa for comment.
- Council reviews Heritage Oshawa's comments and will either approve, approve with conditions, or refuse.
Designation does not prohibit alterations. Heritage Oshawa encourages alterations that restore or complement the heritage attributes of a property.
If an owner objects to a Council decision to refuse or apply conditions to a proposed alteration, they may appeal the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Learn more about designated properties.
Class "A", Class "B", Register Non-Designated Properties
- Staff reviews the application to determine if the alteration impacts heritage attributes. If no, a review is not required.
- If yes, staff consult Heritage Oshawa for comment.
- Council approval is not required.
Demolition of heritage properties
Designated Properties
- Staff consult Heritage Oshawa for comment.
- Council reviews Heritage Oshawa's comments and either approves, approves with conditions, or refuses the proposed demolition.
Register Non-Designated Properties
- Staff consult Heritage Oshawa for comment.
- Council reviews Heritage Oshawa's comments and either allows the demolition or provides a notice of intention to designate.
Council has 60 days from the date of the demolition application to make a decision.
Class "A" and Class "B" Properties
- Staff consult Heritage Oshawa for comment.
- Council approval is not required.
Alternatives to demolition
There are options to consider other than demolition, including:
- Adaptive reuse of the building: keep the building and use it for a different purpose
- Relocation: move the building to another location
- Reclamation and deconstruction: salvage materials from a property before demolition
- Partial retention: keep part of the structure on the property, such as the façade or exterior walls
- Symbolic conservation: recover historic features and incorporate them into a new development
- Record: document photos of the property