New Official Plan gives Perth direction for future development

'This is a significant milestone for the Planning Division and for the county as a whole'

Perth County buildingcourtesy of County of Perth

NEWS RELEASE
PERTH COUNTY COUNCIL
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At a meeting yesterday, Perth County Council approved the County’s New Official Plan (OP). The new OP provides Perth County with a vision and a comprehensive strategy for cultivating new opportunities, building community, ensuring environmental health and making intelligent and informed land use decisions within the County until 2046. The 2024 update to the Official Plan provides a new visionary policy document that is both reflective of provincial policy updates and reflective of current community concerns, priorities and values.

With Council’s approval today, staff will now submit the document to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) for final approval. MMAH is the approval authority of upper-tier Official Plans in each municipality across Ontario. Once reviewed and approved by MMAH, the 2024 New OP will replace the current County Official Plan and those of the lower-tier member municipalities (North Perth, Perth South, Perth East, West Perth) to act as an overall guiding document. The 2024 OP will ensure consistent policy implementation across the County and provide an easier-to-navigate planning framework.

“Council is pleased to approve the New Official Plan today.” said Warden Rhonda Ehgoetz. “It has been a long journey to reach this point and we are grateful to the public for their continued engagement in this project. Council also appreciates the hard work of staff throughout the duration of this important project.”

“This is a significant milestone for the Planning Division and for the county as a whole.” said Lori Wolfe, CAO of Perth County. “The updated policies of the New OP will guide and support important growth and development across the county for years to come.”

“I am pleased to see the OP approved by Council today. It has been a collaborative, team effort from all involved to get us to this approval” said Moira Davidson, senior policy planner leading the OP project. “Past and current staff have worked hard throughout this project to listen to the public and ensure these policies are reflective of the needs of the community. We look forward to working with MMAH to finalize this document and, when approved, implementing these policies across the County.”

This multi-year project to update the OP first began in 2017, and has involved seven phases including several rounds of public outreach, public engagement, open houses, background reports, and draft versions of the document. The current version of the county’s Official Plan was created in the late 1990’s. The province requires that an update to an Official Plan is required every 10 years in the case of a new comprehensive Official Plan, and a review undertaken every five years following.

What is an Official Plan?:
The Official Plan is a strategic planning document that guides the long-term vision for growth and development of land within Perth County, including the Municipalities of North Perth and West Perth, and the Townships of Perth East and Perth South. The Official Plan determines how community needs for various uses such as agriculture, growth, housing, employment, and natural environment will be managed both now and into the future.

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