An 81-year old property owner told CTV News he’ll do the work himself without machinery, if that’s the method directed by city council.

Three years after John McLeod demolished the historic barn on Halls Mill Road without a permit, a plan to remove the pile of wooden debris is taking shape.

On Monday, the Planning and Environment Committee considered a staff recommendation to permit the removal of the woodpile so that the provincial Conservation Review Board (CRB) can determine if the barn’s stone foundation still merits heritage designation.

“What is the reason of wanting to designate a crumbling old barn wall that is on private property and you can’t see from the street?” McLeod asked during his brief delegation to the committee.

He would rather remove what’s left of the barn and its foundation.

McLeod’s long-term plan for the site is to build infill houses that resemble the heritage of the neighbourhood.

Coun. Steve Hillier questioned the heritage value of the stone foundation without the a barn on top.

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