Clarington yesterday announced it is working with the Jury Lands Foundation to implement the future vision for the historically and culturally significant Camp 30 property in Bowmanville.
“The vision is to repurpose these buildings using a process called adaptive reuse, allowing the space to serve another function while conserving its history,” said a municipal statement.
In December, council approved an Official Plan amendment setting out parameters for residential development with park space for the Jury Lands, including Camp 30 (see Related Story below). The municipality has also negotiated an agreement with the landowners, Kaitlin Corporation and Fandor Homes. The agreement included the immediate transfer of ownership of the largest structure on the Camp 30 property, the Cafeteria Building. The agreement includes future plans for the transfer of the remaining heritage buildings (except the Triple Dorm) and large portions of the property that have been identified as environmentally sensitive, said the statement.
The municipality is working with the Jury Lands Foundation, a not-for-profit organization tasked with fundraising and finding partners to rejuvenate and conserve the buildings to protect the heritage of the site.
“We are happy to have this plan in place. This area allows the community access to history, green space and provides for further residential expansion. The property will eventually connect a path south through the former Bowmanville Zoo, giving the community plenty of trail access in the heart of Bowmanville. This is exciting news,” said Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster.
Residential development
The Official Plan amendment encompasses the entire Jury Lands area covering some 48 hectares of land from Concession Street East to the south, Lambs Road to the east, the Canadian Pacific Railway to the north, and the existing residential development to the west. The area will see some low and medium density residential development with limited commercial opportunities based on location and proximity to Lambs Road, which is a local corridor.
Meantime, the former Camp 30 campus area within the ring road will be designated as a future municipal-wide park so that the entire community can enjoy the green space. The buildings themselves will eventually be refurbished, allowing residents to walk in the footsteps of history.
Camp 30 is the former Boys Training School and a former Second World War prisoner of war camp. It’s a nationally and locally designated heritage resource. In 2013, Camp 30 was designated as a National Historic Site. It initially opened in 1925 as a training school for delinquent boys. During the Second World War, it was used by the Allies as a PoW Camp for captured high-ranking German officers. It is the only known PoW Camp left in Canada, with original buildings dating back to that era. Council designated the site in 2018 under the Ontario Heritage Act.