While the rest of the province and most of the world, in fact, is losing farmland, if all goes well Trent Hills will soon gain 5,400 hectares (13,300 acres) of agricultural land.
No, council is not seizing corn fields from Peterborough County, or planning to invade Brighton, the additional farmland is really just an accounting and planning shift, but one that could have major impacts for landowners in the future.
Northumberland County is amending its official plan to include a more realistic and current view of what areas are farmland, what are rural residential and where the boundaries of communities are.
The proposed changes, which have been under discussion for several years, will go to county council on Oct. 14 for approval. Then, the province gets final say.
Under the new mapping, Trent Hills has 7,300 hectares (18,000 acres) that will shift from rural to agricultural, the biggest chunk is in the northeastern section. In addition, we have 17 hectares (42 acres) subject to the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and 77 hectares (190 acres) moving from agricultural to rural.
Our recent survey of readers, found that protecting agricultural land was second only to healthcare issues for local voters. Several candidates have promised to be vigilant in restricting the loss of farmland if they are elected.
“The purpose of the Northumberland Official Plan is to provide direction and a policy framework for managing growth and land use decisions over the planning period to 2051,” says a county planning report. “This plan is intended to provide the guidance necessary for the establishment of detailed strategies, policies and land-use designations at the local level.”
In fact, that is already happening. For the past several years, Trent Hills has been working on an update to its official plan that will reflect these county changes and much more. For example, it will expand the boundaries of Campbellford to include the proposed home for the new hospital and likely add more space for industrial development.
One change that is included in the county’s plan is that Haven on the Trent, the Sifton Properties Ltd. subdivision being built on the southern edge of Campbellford, will officially be shifted from rural to the Campbellford Urban Boundary area.
The province is driving most of the changes with updated mapping and policies. County-wide the updated official plan will see the amount of land designated as agricultural jump from 60,0000 hectares (148,000 acres) to 77,000 hectares (190,000 acres), including changes in the Oak Ridges Moraine land.
As we’ve seen with the recent efforts of Jim Curle and Campbellford Memorial Hospital, it is not easy to shift agricultural land to other uses. The move to turn a productive field into the eventual Campus of Care has required lots of planning and legal advice about how to proceed.
You can read more details about the official plan amendments here on the county website,
Election updates
We should all be getting our voter cards in the mail over the next few days. Trent Hills says that if you don’t have it by Monday, Oct. 5 you can contact the municipality to ensure that you are on the voters’ list.
The voter information letter will confirm what ward you vote in and provide a PIN you can use to vote either online or by telephone.
Voting opens on Oct. 14 and concludes on Oct. 26. You can vote anytime during that period. If you need help navigating the system, you can stop by any of the library branches or the municipal office.
Don’t forget the Hastings candidates’ debate is tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Hastings library branch starting at 1 p.m. (I’ll be there early since my regular Saturday morning tai chi class will be held in the same room. Hope we wrap up our routines before the crowd arrives.)
