A developer’s plan to build a 30-storey highrise would require the demolition of three Victorian homes on Talbot Street.

The choice has the city's Heritage Advisory Committee and planning department on opposing sides.

The committee says the homes deserve heritage protection,  but in a report released Wednesday, the planning department recommends demolishing them to make way for a massive new development.

“I'm sad to see a lot of our valuable architecture going under the bulldozer,” says former city councillor David Winninger.

He wants heritage protection for the homes in the 500 block of Talbot Street.

The buildings date from 1880, 1886 and 1900 and retain many of their original features. But they also stand in the way of a proposal by a developer to build a 30-storey, 224 unit highrise on the corner of Talbot and Dufferin.

“London has an important history and these buildings are a part of that history,” Winninger says.

The heritage committee recommends giving the buildings full protection, but city hall's planning department disagrees.

Once a part of London's first residential suburb, their demolition is recommended in a new planning report because the location is now considered a part of the downtown.

“Unfortunately there isn't a marrying of ideas or middle ground that would allow the buildings to remain and the building to go forward,” says John Fleming, city planner.

A couple years ago, city hall created the downtown heritage district to protect buildings against demolition, but the boundary of that district is at Fullerton Street, one block south of the buildings in question.

“This proposal is within the downtown area and that is where we expect the greatest height and the expectations for development are very close to what's being proposed here,” Fleming says.

Fleming adds that people who move into those 224 units will boost downtown's economy and that will help other heritage buildings in the area remain financially viable.

Winninger says he's not against the development - just the location.

“There is enough land in London that they could build highrises without demolishing buildings that are almost 150 years old.”

The planning and environment committee will debate both the demolition and the re-zoning request on Monday night.

Winninger hopes a lot of Londoners come out to oppose the change.