Cultural Heritage Landscape Study Implementation

A cultural heritage landscape is the recognizable imprint of human settlement and activities on land over time.

Cultural heritage landscapes can include:

Buildings/structures
Landforms (topography)
Natural heritage (tress, plantings)
Archaeological evidence
Transportation routes
Monuments and markers

While any landscape deliberately modified by humans is a cultural landscape, only cultural landscapes that have a strong connection with the history of the community and are valued by the community can be identified as ‘cultural heritage landscapes’.

In January 2014, the Town of Oakville adopted the Cultural Heritage Landscapes Strategy to identify, evaluate and conserve significant cultural heritage landscapes in the Town of Oakville.

Cultural Heritage Landscape Strategy

Cultural heritage landscape protection and policies can limit alterations and development. They can also permit alterations where it doesn’t negatively impact the heritage resources.

The strategy is based on best practices in municipal heritage planning and applicable legislation, including the Planning Act and the Ontario Heritage Act. It is not intended to be an exhaustive study on the history of Oakville, nor is it a full inventory of all potential cultural heritage landscapes in the town.

The strategy includes three phases:

Phase one - Identification

The purpose of Phase One was to complete an inventory of publicly and privately owned properties in the Town of Oakville that had the potential to be a cultural heritage landscape.

Individual Inventory Reports were completed for each property and recommendations were made on how to protect and prioritize the identified cultural heritage landscapes in the inventory.

The Phase One inventory is now complete and was endorsed by Oakville Town Council on February 26, 2016.

Publicly owned properties (municipal and provincial)

Balsam Drive Streetscape
IOF Orphanage - 37-53 Bond Street
Inglehart Farm - 1470 Bronte Road
Bronte Creek Provincial Park - 1219-1311 Burloak Drive
Cross Avenue Bridge
Sixteen Hollow Lions Valley Park - 2417 Fourth Line
Fourth Line Bridge
Lakeside Park - 144 Front Street
Dingle Park - 204- 240 Front George Street
Holyrood Park - 24 Holyrood Avenue
Towne Square - 210 Lakeshore Road East
Gairloch Estate - 1288-1306 Lakeshore Road East
St. Judes Cemetery - 258 Lakeshore Road West
Bronte Athletic Field - 2197 Lakeshore Road West
3014 Lakeshore Road West - Bronte Harbour
Oakville St. Marys Cemetery - 659 Lyons Lane
Ray Lawson Park - 148 Morrison Road
Erchless Estate - 8 Navy Street and 110-114 King Street
Merton Mt. Pleasant Cemetery - 2222 North Service Road West
Seneca Drive Streetscape
Sovereign Street Streetscape
George's Square - 179 Trafalgar Road
Shipyard Park - 5 Walker Street
Tannery Park - 10-22 Walker Street
Cox Estate Cemetery - 145 Wedgewood Drive
Sovereign House - 7 West River Street
Bronte Bluffs - 35 West River Street
Bronte Cemetery - 32 West Street

Privately owned properties

Belair Farms - 126 Bath Street
The Woodlands - 1242 Bronte Road
Featherstone Farm - 185 Burnhamthorpe Road West
McDuffie Farm - 191 Burnhamthorpe Road East
Bowbeer Farmstead - 1086 Burnhamthorpe Road East
William Secord House - 1141 Burnhamthorpe Road East
Bowbeer Farm - 1158 Burnhamthorpe Road East
Hoffman-Mayne Farm - 1265 Burnhamthorpe Road East
Slacer Cabin - 1495 Burnhamthorpe Road West
Unnamed Farmstead - 2381 Burnhamthorpe Road West
Schellenburg Stables - 2483 Burnhamthorpe Road West
Ennisclare Cox Estate - 40 Cox Drive
Raydor Estate Glen Abbey - 1333 Dorval Drive
Turner Farm - 1297 Dundas Street East
Smith Carrique Barn - 2165 Dundas Street West
Jacob Lawrence House - 2391 Dundas Street West
McMichael Farm - 3367 Dundas Street West
Ford-Slacer Farm - 4022 Fourth Line
Holyrood Estate House - 2 Holyrood Avenue
Hopgood Estate - 1118 Lakeshore Road East
Grenvilla Lodge - 1248-1250 Lakeshore Road East
Ryrie Estate - 1475 Lakeshore Road East
Estate Remnants - 2108-2134 Lakeshore Road East
Horizons - 2182 Lakeshore Road East
Unnamed Estate - 372 Lakeshore Road West
Unnamed Estate - 390 Lakeshore Road West
Appleby College - 540 Lakeshore Road West
Old McCraney House - 549 Lakeshore Road West
Hilton Farm - 2031 North Service Road West
Rotary Gardens - 1285 Sedgewick Crescent
Biggar Farm - 4243 Sixth Line
Clements Family Farmhouse - 3371 Trafalgar Road
Matthew Clements House - 3437 Trafalgar Road
Unnamed Farmstead - 3451 Tremaine Road
Unnamed Farmstead - 658 Winston Churchill Boulevard

Phase two - Evaluation

In Phase Two, full assessments of the priority properties identified in the Phase One inventory are being completed.

Based on these assessments, protection of these properties through designation under the Ontario Heritage Act or through Official Plan policies will be implemented in Phase Three.

Due to timing and budget restraints, Phase Two will likely take place in several stages with high priority properties being assessed first and medium and low priority properties being assessed when possible.

Council has recognized the following areas as significant cultural heritage landscapes through the Phase Two assessment process. These areas are now subject to Phase Three Implementation work led by town staff to protect the heritage attributes of these properties:

Cultural Heritage Evaluation Reviews

Phase three - Implementation

For properties in Phase Three, appropriate protection measures are being recommended using tools under the Ontario Heritage Act, the Planning Act and Municipal Act.

This phase is led by town staff and may also use external and internal consultants as needed. We will continue to engage with the public and property owners to meet and exceed all statutory requirements. Consultation may vary with each individual property, tailored to the unique circumstances of each landscape.

As part of this implementation work, Council approved the Conservation Plan By-law which requires a Conservation Plan for cultural heritage landscapes.

Additionally, updates were made to the Delegation By-law, Property Standards By-law, Private Tree By-law and the Site Alteration By-law to ensure consistency with provincial policy and definitions. See our By-laws page to access by-laws. These by-laws are currently under appeal.

The following properties are currently in Phase Three:

Biggar Farm (4243 Sixth Line)
Bowbeer Farmstead (1086 Burnhamthorpe Road East) - Designation By-law for Bowbeer Farmstead
Bronte Harbour and Bluffs (multiple properties) - Conservation Plan for Bronte Harbour and Bluffs (pdf) and Designation By-law for Bronte Harbour and Bluffs (pdf)
Erchless Estate (8 Navy Street and 110-114 King Street) - Conservation Measures for Erchless Estate
Gairloch Gardens (1288-1306 Lakeshore Road East) - Conservation Plan for Gairloch Gardens (pdf) and Designation By-law for Gairloch Gardens (pdf)
Knox Presbyterian Church Sixteen and Cemetery (1150 Dundas Street West)
Oakville Harbour (multiple properties) - Conservation Plan for Oakville Harbour (pdf) and Designation By-law for Oakville Harbour (pdf)
RayDor Estate/Glen Abbey (1333 Dorval Drive) - Designation By-law for RayDor Estate/Glen Abbey
St. Jude's Cemetery (258 Lakeshore Road West) - Conservation Plan for St. Jude's Cemetery (pdf) and Designation By-law for St. Jude's Cemetery (pdf)

Official Plan Amendments

A town-initiated official plan amendment (OPA) to the Livable Oakville Plan is proposed as described in the notice below. It affects the entire Livable Oakville Plan area, being all lands south of Dundas Street and north of Highway 407.

On September 26, 2017 Town Council adopted OPA 16 (Cultural Heritage Policy Updates) to the Official Plan.