Council recognized four Oakville properties as significant cultural heritage landscapes at its Planning and Development Council meeting Monday night. The four properties are:
- Raydor Estate/Glen Abbey at 1333 Dorval Drive,
- Bowbeer Farmstead at 1086 Burnamthorpe Road East,
- Hilton Farm at 2013 North Service Road West and
- Biggar Farm at 4243 Sixth Line.
The four properties will now be subject to Phase Three implementation work led by town staff to identify and recommend to Council potential measures to safeguard the heritage attributes of these properties.
Council’s decision took into account advice from town heritage staff, detailed information, analysis and opinions provided by external experts led by Letourneau Heritage Consulting, as well as input from landowners, the Heritage Oakville Advisory Committee and the public.
“The expert assessments and the staff report were very convincing in identifying how the four properties met the criteria to be recognized as significant cultural heritage landscapes,” Mayor Burton said. “We look forward to hearing back from staff, the public and the landowners on how we can best protect the heritage importance of these properties moving forward.”
Council’s decision continues the implementation of the town’s Cultural Heritage Landscapes Strategy, endorsed by Council in January 2014. These four properties were identified as high priority sites for further study in the Phase One Cultural Heritage Landscape Inventory endorsed by Council in February 2016. Last night’s actions concluded Phase Two Cultural Heritage Landscape Assessments for these properties. Council approved $150,000 in additional funding for Phase Three, which will include assistance from independent experts.
- Glen Abbey Golf Course/RayDor Estate (1333 Dorval Drive) remains a high priority for completion.
Council also approved a staff recommendation that no further action be taken as part of the Cultural Heritage Landscape Strategy on two other properties that had been identified as high priority sites in the Phase One Inventory,
- Rivaz Farm at 3367 Dundas Street West and
- Van Sickle Farm at 3451 Tremaine Road.
- These properties, while not identified as significant cultural heritage landscapes, were identified to have significant built heritage resources that may warrant protection.
Two other high priority properties which are owned by the town:
- Bronte Harbour (3014 Lakeshore Road West) and
- Bronte Bluffs (35 West River Street) will be subject to Phase Two assessments in the coming months.
A cultural heritage landscape is a geographical area of heritage significance that has been modified by human activities and is valued by a community for the important contribution they make to our understanding of the history of a place, an event, or a people. The Provincial Policy Statement requires that significant cultural heritage landscapes be conserved.