Wellington Heritage Conservation District Study and Plan

Wellington is a village on the south shore of the County, just west of the Sandbanks. Founded in the early 19th century, has prospered as a fishing, canning and, more recently, tourist community. The County Official Plan has identified Wellington as one of several growth centres and that, added to the development pressures stemming from the Greater Toronto Area, made understanding the village’s cultural heritage a priority. In addition to the existing Secondary Plan for Wellington, the County wanted more detailed planning tools to help them direct future development in and around the village. They hired a consulting team led by Bray Heritage to study the evolution of the village and evaluate its cultural heritage resources. Public consultation continued throughout the study, despite the pandemic. Once the study determined that the village merited designation as a Heritage Conservation District (HCD), the consulting team prepared the HCD Plan that was adopted by Council. Carl Bray subsequently helped the County defend the Plan against appeal, and the Plan was formally approved by the Ontario Land Tribunal in 2024.