Hi Henry (and welcome),
Could you show us something of your town/village? I live in a place where we have more than 30 buildings that are more than 1600 years! Our old city centre is the biggest in the country and was even bigger than contemporary Vienna in the Middle Ages and we have lots of exclusively pedestrian areas here so can even show you alternatives.
It would really be a shame if for some convenience, they would destroy those old houses (that are not too abundant on that side of the Atlantic anyway)