Council Approves a Plan for the Development and Preservation of Camp 30 Area. 20 December 2021.
Clarington Council has adopted Official Plan amendment 121 that outlines the future development for lands known as Special Policy Area F, which encompass the historically and culturally significant Camp 30. Alongside the planning amendment, the Municipality has also negotiated an agreement with the landowner transferring the ownership of the historically significant Cafeteria Building, part of the Camp 30 property. The agreement includes future plans for the transfer of ownership of the remaining heritage buildings and large portions of the property that have been identified as environmentally sensitive. The rest of the land will see a combination of low, medium to high-density development based on location as set out in the Official Plan amendment. Camp 30 is the former Boys Training School – a nationally and locally designated heritage resource made up of buildings and the Ring Road which surrounds them. The former campus area will be designated as a future Municipal Wide Park so that the entire community can enjoy the green space. The Camp 30 buildings will eventually be repurposed and refurbished so that the community can walk in the footsteps of history and experience this significant area.
Official Plan Amendment 121 combines the approved vision for the design of the Municipal Park Lands, including planned green space and public recreation amenities with environmental protection and future growth and development for the area creating a well-balanced community.
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 prisoner of war 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. The Jury Lands Foundation was established to conserve the buildings and the heritage of the site.