It’s the first step in a lengthy process to save Glen Abbey from redevelopment. Oakville town council intends to designate the world famous golf course as a heritage site but the corporation that owns the land, Clublink says while town council thinks it’s preserving golf and the Canadian Open, it may be hindering it.
In 2015 Clublink came forward with a plan to turn the course into a neighbourhood with over 3,000 homes, office buildings and stores but Oakville town council stalled that plan last night by voting unanimously to proceed with a notice of intention to designate the course as a siginifcant cultural heritage landscape.
Clublink has 30 days to make an appeal to the conservation review board, the board would present council with a review. Council would then be in a position to either follow through and pass the designation bylaw or in some way change the heritage attributes to be conserved.
In a statement Clublink says “we believe this is a troublesome precedent for the business of golf and the future of the Canadian Open at Glen Abbey.”
Golf Canada’s Bill Paul sent town council a letter last week stating his concerns about a potential heritage designation. In the letter he says that every year, the site of the Canadian Open requires renovations and alterations and he says with a heritage designation, those changes may not be possible. Meaning the open would have to be taken else where.
If the heritage designation moves forward, it still wont be ready in time for the scheduled council meeting on September 26 where Clublink’s application to redevelop Glen Abbey will be presented.
