Residents calling themselves Citizens for a Historic Westbank accuse West Kelowna council of intentionally stifling efforts to preserve Westbank within the new District of West Kelowna.

The group believes council is slowly trying to rid the municipality of all references to downtown Westbank on road signs, marketing materials and maps and says it has proof to back up the claims.

In an effort to speed up its preservation efforts, the group is circulating a petition, seeking further support for the creation of a Westbank Heritage Conservation Area to be defined by Canada Post’s V4T postal code boundaries, which covers the southern half of the municipality.

Meanwhile, council refused to hear from the group at its Tuesday afternoon meeting, alleging a delegation had no new information to offer since a previous appearance.

Mayor Doug Findlater also punched holes in the group’s heritage conservation area proposal, calling the idea “flawed.”

Provincial heritage conservation legislation is designed to protect historical structures and areas from any development that could alter the character of a neighbourhood, Findlater explained.

“I think it’s an inappropriate use of the legislation. Our downtown Westbank will change. We’ve got a town centre plan underway. It will densify,” said Findlater.

Speaking to the Capital News after the meeting, group spokeswoman Loreta Learmonth said council missed the whole point of her group’s idea for downtown Westbank.

“The concept of the conservation area had gone totally over their heads in that it had nothing to do with structure,” said Learmonth. “We are trying to save the town of Westbank and allow it to continue in the district.”

The group’s conservation concept included something Learmonth called a “non-restrictive bylaw,” which would preclude restrictions on land use, development and building features in downtown Westbank.

Regardless, Coun. Gord Milsom said he believes West Kelowna’s ongoing Official Community Plan review provides more appropriate means of defining downtown Westbank.

Coun. David Knowles commented that Westbank supporters need to ease off and stop inundating council with correspondence concerning Westbank.

The municipality is still catching up after the forest fires, said Knowles. Besides, council is fully aware of supporters’ concerns, he stated.

“There’s too much pressure. It’s not necessary. It’s being looked after very, very well,” said Knowles. “Just to put more pressure on councillors and staff, in my humble opinion, is counterproductive.”

However, Westbankers said they must persist.

Learmonth and fellow supporters Sheila Kennedy, Dorene Lander and Gordon Ficke said they have correspondence showing the District of West Kelowna asked Ministry of Transportation staff to replace highway signage, directing people to downtown West Kelowna instead of the previously posted Westbank town centre.

They also pointed to a new municipally funded tourism guide, which said West Kelowna’s first post office was established in 1902.

In actual fact, the Westbank post office was established in 1908, they explained. West Kelowna did not exist as the community’s official name until the start of this year.

The group also claimed that downtown Westbank was removed from Official Community Plan review maps.

When residents raised concerns during public input sessions in the spring, the references to Westbank returned, they claimed.

jluciw@kelownacapnews.com