Owner of former schoolhouse cleared to build a shed

By Craig Westcott \ May 5, 2023

The owner of property at 22-24 Cherry Lane has finally come up with a development idea that CBS council can live with.

On Tuesday, council approved an application for a “residential accessory building.” That is bureaucratic language for a shed or garage, in this case measuring 87 square metres.

The property was the subject of some contention last year when a developer bought the former schoolhouse-turned office building-turned police detachment and applied to convert it into a double duplex. The application necessitated a zoning change and sparked a petition against the plan from neighbouring residents.

“There was some concern about what this accessory building would be used for, among the residents in the area,” noted councillor-at-large Rex Hiller, who chairs council’s planning and development committee. “We just want to assure them that is simply a residential accessory building, a garage or shed for storage, like many of us have on our own properties.”

In other planning committee news, council rejected an application to build a front fence at 64 Oaken Drive, Kelligrews. Hillier explained Oaken Drive is a new development “and we don’t encourage front yard fences in new developments.”