Over the past several months Maitland Conservation and the Township of North Huron have received questions from the public regarding development in the floodplain at the south end of Wingham. This is a Special Policy Area and we would like to provide some background on the process that led to this designation.

In 1986 the former Town of Wingham applied to the Province of Ontario for permission to develop 35 acres of the floodplain land for future commercial purposes.

Maitland Conservation was responsible for assessing the impact of filling this floodplain area on upstream and downstream properties. This assessment revealed that filling the area would have minimal impact on upstream and downstream flood levels.

In 1987 the Province of Ontario granted approval for the Special Policy Area in principle. The Town of Wingham was then required to undertake additional studies looking at how the area would be developed and identifying the flood proofing standards for each of the three sub-areas in the proposed Special Policy Area.

In 1988 the Provincial Government requested that the Town of Wingham develop a Master Development Plan for the proposed Special Policy Area. The plan identifies conditions under which development can proceed. It deals with flood proofing, development and servicing requirements. The Master Development Plan was approved by the Provincial Government in 1995.

The Special Policy Area is divided into three sub-areas. Each sub-area has policies that must be met before a property may be developed. These policies cover: flood proofing standards, flood emergency planning, land use, geotechnical and methane gas investigations, filling, drainage and stormwater management. The development at the north west corner of Josephine St. and Amberley Rd. is located in Sub-Area 2.

The Master Development Plan also outlines the extent of land that may be developed within the floodplain. All new development must adhere to the policies and standards that are contained in the Master Development Plan.

Factsheets relating to the Special Policy Area are available in .pdf format.

Additional information on Master Development Plan is available from the Township of North Huron.