City of St. John’s releases 10-year heritage plan

The City of St. John’s has unveiled a new 10-year strategy aimed at protecting and promoting its heritage, expanding its focus beyond historic buildings to include cultural, natural and intangible assets.

Council approved the Heritage Strategic Plan at its Feb. 17 meeting. The document will guide how the city manages and celebrates heritage from 2026 to 2036.

Coun. Tom Davis, council lead for planning and heritage, said the plan provides a co-ordinated approach to safeguarding the elements that define the city.

“Heritage is about more than buildings. It reflects our history, culture, landscapes and stories,” Davis said in a statement. “This plan sets out how we will honour and responsibly manage them for future generations.”

The city has long maintained regulations governing development in designated heritage areas and protections for recognized heritage buildings. The new plan will work alongside the Envision St. John’s Municipal Plan and the city’s heritage bylaw, setting out a long-term vision, goals and actions.

The strategy outlines five key goals: protecting and conserving built heritage; expanding the city’s heritage narrative; developing municipal and community expertise; increasing awareness and support for heritage education; and collaborating with governments and agencies.

City officials say the plan is the result of public engagement carried out between 2023 and 2025. The process included online and in-person meetings, consultations with advisory committees and expert panels, focus groups with representatives from the heritage, development and business sectors, and meetings with owners of designated heritage buildings.

The city says feedback gathered during those consultations helped shape the plan’s priorities.

St. John’s has identified becoming a sustainable city as a strategic direction, with a focus on land-use planning that preserves and enhances the natural and built environment. Officials say the heritage plan is intended to support that objective over the next decade.