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The Acton Free Press Wednesday Feb 16 Tuesday An overview Chairman Niagara CommluloQ This is an overview of the Niagara Escarpment Com mission Preliminary Proposals for a Niagara Escarpment Master Plan These Proposals have been prepared to provide for the maintenance the Niagara Escarpment and land in its vicinity substantially as a continuous natural environment and to ensure only such development occurs as is compatible with that natural environment These are proposals only and will be the subject of discussion with municipal councils advisory committees provincial ministries and the public before a proposed Plan is drafted for formal hearings It will come as no surprise to note that the Commission is proposing a continuous scarp designation stretching from Niagara Falls to Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula as a basic land use designation This identifies prominent surface slopes and buries portions of the geological escarp ment The policies propose its preservation as a continuous natural environment Overlying this and extending about metres on either side there is a scarp protection overlay designation This is to provide a protective buffer on either side of the scarp and development in the area will have to be earned out with a careful consideration of its effect on the scarp environment As over per cent of he Planning Area Is of a rural character the Commissions task involves principally rural as opposed to urban planning It Is fair to say that until recently most planning in Ontario has been concentrated on the urban areas Thus there remains much new ground to be There arc four dominant designations that make up the bulk of the rural area in the Commission Proposals These are Special and Mixed Agriculture General Rural and Forest The Special and Mixed Agricultural areas combined make up 38 percent of the total area The Special Agricultural areas identify lands with a high capacity for special crops such as the tender fruits and apples The Mixed Agricultural areas identify good quality Class or 3 or equivalent lands that are not Special Agricultural areas The policies in these Proposals are d reeled to preserving these lands for agricultural use The forest areas make up per cent of the total area These lands are now forested or are reverting to forest and have been assessed as having a high or medium capability for timber production The pollc in the Proposals aim to preserve the tree cover not only for the future commercial value but also for the great environmental and scenic benefits of forested areas percent of the Planning Area been designated as General Rural These lands are the lower quality tural lands Classes4to7 ThepolicyProposalsaretopermit a limited scale or rural development Including rural residential municipalities The Commission has been charged with designating areas for mineral extraction and has done so The Commission has proposed that the existing licensed areas largely be con tinued with the exception that the distance from the scarp for which extraction Is now prohibited will be Increased by applying the Scarp Protection policy New areas have been designated for future mineral extraction but these have been selected so as not to use forested lands good agricultural lands or to disrupt important environmental or cultural areas scenic areas and areas proposed for public tion Strong controls are proposed as part of the licensing procedures Some acres 12 acres of it already licensed have been proposed for designation The focal point for new mineral extraction areas yet to be opened up Is shifted northward from its present position towards the northern portion of the Planning Area Trail The Commission has carried out extensive studies to determine an optimum route for the Bruce Trail and this route appears as a basic designation in the Preliminary Proposals It has a length of miles per cent of which is on lands now public No agreement has been reached with landowners for a large proportion of this optimum route Thus what Is on the maps now merely represents that route that would be most desirable from he point of view of trail users Where the actual route of the trail will be in the end will depend on what arrangements can be made The policies propose a variety or options for these arrangements The policies also propose management techniques for this very popular trail The Commission has not confined itself to the Bruce Trail It Is proposing recreation policies involving other types of Is as well as recreational activities It has also mapped a proposed scenic drive system on low peed roads This is miles long and uses existing roads THRIFT STORE PICKUP SERVICE ACTON AREA THURSDAY PICKUPS CALL sua 1 basic land use designations in Escarpment Commission proposal The Niagara Escarpment Commission unveiled Preliminary Proposals to preserve the natural environ ment of 1 3 million acre Niagara Escarpment Area on Tuesday The Commission Invited municipalities to contribute their ideas before a proposed Plan is drafted It will be the subject of formal hearings Commission Chairman Ivor said the Prelim in Proposals document was written specifically to assist In obtaining input from municipalities as required under the Niagara Escarp ment Planning and Devclop- The mandate of the Com mission is to prepare a plan that will maintain the Escarp ment and land in Its vicinity as a continuous natural environ ment Comment on the Proposals is also to be sought from the general public the Com missions two advisory com mlttces a various provincial ministries The Niagara Escarpment Planning Area stretches miles from Niagara Falls to Tobermory varies in width from one to 15 miles and covers 1 3 million acres The Niagara Planning and Development Act specifies that what development occurs should be compatible with that natural environment Mr said the Com mission and its staff will be meeting with the municl pa lilies within the planning area during the next three months to discuss the proposals in detail The Commission also plans to conduct public meetings and to establish dropin Information centres at its offices In Georgetown burg and Grimsby to obtain public comment on the Preliminary Proposals Copies of the Proposals are available on request from all three Niagara Escarpment Commission offices Land use maps depicting areas covered by the policies In the Preliminary Proposals are available for inspection at the Commission offices and will be provided to public libraries and the municipal offices with the Planning Area The Preliminary Proposals identify and map 11 basic designations and seven overlay designations in addition to proposing vai objectives and policies for the designated areas The basic designations are forest areas general rural lokeshore lakeshore redi dential mineral resource scarp scenic drives Bruce Trail special and mixed culture special areas and urban areas Other designations which overlay the basic designations arc cultural hazard natural provincial acquisition areas scarp protection areas and scenic resource areas In addition there arc proposed policies that apply in varying degree throughout the Planning Area These involve water resources recreation transportation and utilities and the administration of the Plan Were hoping the munlci palllks will be able to provide us with their comments on the Preliminary Proposals as soon as possible so we can draft and publish our proposed Plan by early Mr M completed formal public hearings on the Plan will be When the proposed Plan is scheduled We Stock and Order McCALL STYLE SIMPLICITY PATTERNS HINTONS to 00 STORE BOWLING Great Fun ForOneForAII Tama BOWL or BOWL for Health Acton Bowling Lanes 10 Main St N 853 except for 22 miles in Bruce County It goes through some of the highest rated scenic areas Among the features Identified within the Niagara Escarpment Planning Area are important wildlife habitats more than sites containing flowers and plants of special interest more than 100 sites of geological significance and numerous streams and rivers of portance to fisheries These have been combined in the Preliminary Proposals as the Natural Areas overlay designation In addition to these features are many hundreds of archaelogical and historic sites which collectively have been designated as Cultural Areas Developments In these areas arc not necessarily prohibited but will be carefully regulated so as to ensure preservation of the special features In the area The overlay designations cover per cent of the planning area for the Natural Areas and four percent for the Cultural Areas A landscape evaluation study has been carried out for the whole Escarpment area This has attempted to rote areas by scenic quality as appreciated by the average viewer The areas rated as above average are shown on an overlay designation It is proposed that developments in these high quality scenic areas be regulated so as not to unduly impair this scenic value About percent of the Planning Area achieves this high quality rating For some time there has been an extensive land acquisition program for parks and recreational areas In the Escarpment area This has been a combined effort of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Conservation Authorities The Commission is recommending continuation of this program with modifications and extensions of it It Is recognized that the program must be a very long term one and that interim development can be permitted on property that win not be acquired for some time to come BO acres are now under public ownership The program calls for eventual acquisition of another 38 acres but no time limits are proposed for this The Niagara Escarpment area Is a prime recreational area and the development of the recreational potential is encouraged throughout the Proposals Other portions of the shoreline are designated as Residential to provide limited and carefully controlled opportunity for low density development The ratio of Residential to that has been designated is approximately to 4 Choice PRIME RIB ROAST TBONE SIRLOIN WING STEAKS Choice WING ROAST 149 RUMP ROAST b Tender BLADE SHORT RIB ROASTS SHOULDER ROAST b 99 Loan GROUND BEEF Fresh SMALL LINK SAUSAGE 95 Maple Leaf Sliced lib ab gg SIDE BACON LOVELL BROS MODERN MEAT MARKET FANTASTIC DEALS WITH NO FRILLS THATS RIGHT NO COFFEE NO DONUTS NO BALLOONS FOR THE KIDDIES BUT 5 FULL DAYS OF GREAT TIRE DEALS Moore Park Plaza Georgetown DOORS OPEN 8 AM EVERY DAY COME EARLY FOR BEST SELECTION