News Releases
Government Home Search Sitemap Contact Us  


NLIS 4
July 4, 2000
(Municipal and Provincial Affairs)


C.A. Pippy Park boundary changes

Joan Marie Aylward, Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs, announced today that government has approved changes to the Pippy Park boundary which will see the inclusion of some new properties and the exclusion of others.

John Roil, Q.C., who was appointed as a commissioner to hear representations on proposed changes to the park boundary, conducted public hearings and filed a report with recommended changes. Commissioner Roil�s report and its recommendations were reviewed by the Pippy Park Commission (PPC), Government and the City of St. John�s, and largely accepted by all parties. In addition to these recommendations, other government land has been formally included as part of the park and a resolution to the Gloucester Street issue was accepted by both the Commissioner and the City of St. John�s.

"I�m happy these changes were developed with the input from so many interested parties," said the minister. "I commend Mr. Roil for his work and I thank the area residents, the PPC and the City of St. John�s for their valuable input which allowed this process to be completed."

PPC Chair, Dr. Phil Warren, expressed his pleasure at the overall outcome. The PPC will now move forward expeditiously with its Master Plan Review, concentrating on the park�s core function of preserving the natural environment, developing appropriate recreation facilities, and providing a home for government and Memorial University.

The new Pippy Park boundary will be surveyed and subsequently gazetted when it will come into effect. However, this date will be co-ordinated with the City of St. John�s to allow it to propose associated amendments to the City of St. John�s Municipal Plan and Development Regulations.

(Fact sheet attached)

Media contact: Glenn Bruce, Communications, (709) 729-1983.

Changes to the boundaries of the C. A. Pippy Park

INCLUSIONS

A) the portion of the former Department of National Defence site north of Groves Road comprised of private properties acquired by the federal government. The balance of the site is Crown land and is within the Windsor Lake watershed,

B) all the properties owned by Memorial University of Newfoundland west of Westerland Road and between Elizabeth Avenue and Prince Philip Drive. The university buildings on the properties are a) the Aquarena, b) MUN Alumni House, c) Printing Services Building and d) vacant building on Westerland Road,

C) a portion of the land owned by the City of St. John�s near Rocky Pond (formerly Eunice Blarney) and land owned by the Pippy Park Commission (formerly James and Thomas Kearsey), plus a small area of Crown land in the area,

D) the Fisheries Building (formerly Exon House) and Brinton Memorial School within the Park,

E) the Pippy Park Commission land between Smithville Crescent and Prince Philip Drive which land provides access from both roads to the Rennies River trail and is an entry point to Pippy Park,

F) the area of land at the end of the turnaround on Osborne Street, owned by the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, which provides pedestrian access to the Confederation Complex grounds on the south side of Prince Philip Drive,

G) the parcel of land acquired from William Smith at the rear (south) of the Prince Philip Drive Campus of the College of the North Atlantic. This is the last area of vacant land in vicinity of the facility,

H) the southern portion of Commission owned land, between Groves Road and Thorburn Road, acquired from Arthur Winsor, so that the revised park boundary in the area follows the boundaries of government owned lands, and

I) the new alignment of Mount Scio Road at its intersection with Thorburn Road.

(EXCLUSIONS)

1) all properties within one hundred (100) metres of the centre lines of Groves Road, Gillies Road and Pitcher�s Path, including an allowance for municipal standard turnarounds, except for the former Noseworthy lands in the Groves Road and Gillies Road area where the exclusion distances will vary. The leasehold interests in the former Noseworthy lands are being converted to freehold title as per original parameters.

2) all properties west of the new Mount Scio Road intersection with Thorburn Road, south of Groves Road, north of Thorburn Road and east of the proposed Bifurcation Road and its interchange with the Outer Ring Road. This would result in the exclusion of all the land owned by the Estates of John and Patrick O�Brien located between Thorburn Road and Groves Road,

3) land at the end of Firdale Drive to facilitate residential development on the west side and end of a municipal standard turnaround. There are presently seven (7) houses on the east side of Firdale Drive within the current park boundary,

4) land at the end of McNiven Place owned by the City of St. John�s, the Estate of Frederick McNiven and the Estate of Charles Simms. These lands have immediate residential development potential, are of considerable value and while they remain within the park, are a financial liability to the Pippy Park Commission,

5) Pippy Park Commission land located between Firdale Drive and McNiven Place so that there is not an isolated parcel of land between the revised boundaries in the area of both referenced roads,

6) an isolated parcel of land south of the Outer Ring Road and north of Briarwood subdivision at the top of Glouchester Street and west end of Hunts Lane,

7) the portions of land owned by Margaret Murphy (formerly Martin Walsh) and Robert Johnston (formerly Adam Johnston) located west of Big Pond and presently in the park., These properties are in the Windsor Lake watershed and are thereby under the mandate of the City of St. John�s.

8) private properties on the south side of Groves Road to the west of the land owned by the Pippy Park Commission and acquired from R.E.T. Holdings Limited (Charles Horwood). By so doing the new park boundary in the area will be along Commission owned land and the financial obligation to acquire the private properties will be removed, and

9) land to the east of the new Mount Scio Road intersection with Thorburn Road deemed surplus by the Pippy Park Commission as a result of the road realignment.

10) land one lot depth either side of Gloucester Street providing for infill development to cover the cost of installing municipal piped services.

A map which graphically displays these proposals is available through the Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs, Division of Urban and Rural Planning.

2000 07 04                 1:00 p.m.


SearchHomeBack to GovernmentContact Us


All material copyright the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. No unauthorized copying or redeployment permitted. The Government assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of any material deployed on an unauthorized server.
Disclaimer/Copyright/Privacy Statement