Lake Erie North Shore Watershed Plan - Niagara Peninsula ...

LAKE ERIE NORTH SHORE WATERSHED PLAN
Plan also identifies the need to preserve and manage the County‟s natural environment
features and that these principles should form the basis for future development and land
use decisions. The Official Plan states that a “high quality environment will be achieved
and retained as human health is linked to environmental health. The County will strive to
preserve essential ecological functions and protect natural biological diversity and
ecological integrity” (Section 2A.4). In order to accomplish this, the Official Plan
outlines numerous policies with regard to for example, provincially significant wetlands,
habitats of „species at risk‟, development, and other natural environments such as water
resources. The Official Plan also recognizes that cooperation and communication with
other agencies is necessary to accomplish these objectives.
The Official Plan recognizes the importance of Haldimand‟s productive agricultural lands
as the “prime economic basis for the rural community” and it is in the “County‟s interest
to preserve that lifestyle and foster the agricultural industry” (Section A1). The Official
Plan outlines various policies that are intended to preserve and protect the agricultural
land base for agricultural purposes by for example, limiting land use activities to
agricultural and related activities and for land uses that are compatible with agriculture.
In addition, the policies “encourage the development of agricultural support services
within urban areas and designated hamlets” (Section 3A.3).
A study was conducted in 2004 titled North Shore Strategies: The Lakeshore Area Study
(Haldimand County) with the purpose of providing the County with background
information on the lakeshore area so informed decisions regarding policies for land use
along the lakeshore could be formulated. A major concern identified in the study was the
increase of housing conversions from seasonal to permanent that have been occurring
over the past few years along the lakeshore, therefore a challenge of Haldimand County
includes finding a balance between a sustainable and viable shoreline community while
protecting the natural environment and preserving the lakeshore as an asset for
residents and tourism. Accordingly, the Official Plan outlines numerous policies in
regards to shoreline development as the County recognizes this area as an invaluable
resource and the County “supports the preservation of the open nature of the lakeshore
by limiting development to designated areas or nodes. Scenic roads, public vistas, and
landscapes along the lakeshore will be identified and protected” (Section F6).
Conservation Authorities
It is the intent of the Province of Ontario in the PPS (MMAH 2005) to direct development
“away from areas of natural or human-made hazards where there is an unacceptable
risk to public health or safety or of property damage” (Section 3.0). Accordingly, along
the Lake Erie shoreline, development is restricted within the shoreline hazard limit. This
limit is defined as the “furthest landward extent of the aggregate of the flooding hazard
limit plus the erosion hazard limit plus the dynamic beach hazard limit” (NPCA 2007b).
These hazards are defined in the PPS (MMAH 2005) as follows:
Flooding hazard limit (along Great Lakes shoreline): based on the 100 year
flood level plus an allowance for wave uprush and other water-related hazards.
Wave uprush means the rush of water up onto a shoreline or structure
following the breaking of a wave; the limit of wave uprush is the point of
furthest landward rush of water onto the shoreline.
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