The Development Applications Board has been urged to turn down a retroactive plan to install fencing around a vacant Hamilton lot.

Planning documents said that the Department of Public Lands and Buildings sought retroactive planning permission for a chain-link fence put up around a site at the junction of Parliament Street and Reid Street.

The application stated that the fencing was erected to “add safety for pedestrians and motorists” with green privacy screen netting added to “offer visual improvement” to the lot, which earlier housed the Hamilton Police Station.

However, a report prepared for the DAB recommended that the application be refused because the fence was in conflict with the recently updated City of Hamilton Plan.

The report said: “While the green privacy screen provides screening to soften the visual impact, the use of chain-link fencing does not align with the material expectations of the policy of the 2025 plan, which seeks higher quality, contextually appropriate finishes.

“The site is located at a prominent intersection in the City of Hamilton and is publicly visible along two street frontages.

“In its current form, the temporary fencing solution does not reflect the established or desired urban character of the area, particularly for a future development site of significance.”

The report said that while the City of Hamilton had expressed support for the proposal, stating the fencing was “fit for purpose” and “not offensive looking”, no murals or soft landscaping had been included to screen the fencing.

It added that the 2025 plan also requires that development proposals must, where applicable, deliver “meaningful community benefits”.

The report said: “These may include but [are] not limited to improvements to public spaces, infrastructure, public art or amenities. The proposal does not offer any such community benefit.”

The documents said that the Department of Planning had engaged with the applicant to seek an alternative boundary and proposed alternative options including soft landscaping, the incorporation of public art or other details to align with the spirit of planning policies.

The report added: “The applicant confirmed they would not be willing to amend the retroactive proposal and the fence, as constructed, is ultimately what permission is being sought.”

As a result, the report said that the application must be refused for failing to comply with planning policies.

The DAB was also recommended to refuse permission for fencing around another vacant Reid Street lot located at the junction with Court Street.

That planning application sought to replace plywood boarding at the site with a screened, chain-link fence while creating parking for nine cars and landscaping the lot with palm trees.

The report, however, said that the use of temporary fencing and potted palms did not constitute a public amenity or provide value to the broader community.

It said: “Rather than contributing to the enhancement or revitalisation of the area, the proposal represents a temporary, utilitarian use of a strategic city-centre site.

“It does not provide an active street frontage, engage with the public realm or offer any long-term urban benefit.

“Approving such a low-quality interim use would directly conflict with the aspirations and vision of the City Plan.”

The report also noted that the site, which formerly housed the Canadian Hotel, had been earmarked in the plan as “suitable for transformational development”.

It added: “Permitting the use of the site for surface parking and temporary fencing, even on a short-term basis, risks delaying comprehensive redevelopment for a new replacement building on the site which could deliver a whole number of benefits to this part of the city and the wider economy in the public interest.”