Perth County is in the process of creating a New Official Plan to guide future planning and development within the County. Based on community input, background reports and updated provincial policy the New Official Plan will ensure both a vision for Perth County and a comprehensive strategy for cultivating new opportunities, building community, ensuring environmental health and making intelligent and informed land use decisions.
September 3, 2024 Update - Official Plan Commenting Period Extended
The commenting period for the new Official Plan has been extended. The final version of the revised draft new Official Plan is currently scheduled to be presented to Council for endorsement on October 17, 2024.
While comments will be accepted up to the day the Official Plan is endorsed by Council, the Planning Division recommends that comments be provided by September 13, 2024 to allow adequate timing to incorporate the feedback into the final draft Official Plan document. Comments can be submitted by email at newofficialplan@perthcounty.ca, by phone at 519-271-0531 ext. 419, or by mail to 1 Huron Street, Stratford, ON, N5A 5S4.
Click here to view the full update on our Get Involved page.
On This Page:
Click the links below to quickly navigate to each section:
- Why do we need a New Official Plan?
- Other Pages
- Draft Official Plan
- Draft Official Plan Map Viewer
- Timeline
- Project Phases
- About the New Official Plan
- Background Information
- Contact Us
- Subscribe for Updates
Why do we need a New Official Plan?
- The current Official Plan is dated: Our current Official Plan is over 25 years old (created in the late 1990's). Since then, policy direction from the Province has changed; most recently in the 2020 Provincial Policy Statement (PPS). A more modern Official plan will allow us to meet the needs of our community in present day.
- To create a more streamlined development process: An updated Official Plan will bring the County's policies more in line with current planning practices. This will reduce red tape as fewer development applications will require Official Plan Amendments (OPA's)
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Other Pages:
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Draft Official Plan
Perth County is working on a new Official Plan to guide planning and development within the County. Based on community input, background reports and provincial policy, the new Official Plan will provide a vision for Perth County and a comprehensive strategy for cultivating new opportunities, building community, protection resources and making informed land use decisions.
The first iteration of the draft Official Plan was released in December 2023 to provide transparency for the public, stakeholder groups, steering committees, and Council on how feedback received had been considered and implemented. Open Houses for review of the draft Official Plan were held in February 2024 where additional comments and feedback were received from the public and stakeholder groups.
In light of the feedback and questions received at the in-person Open House events, through email, and mail correspondence, and at the direction of Council, a revised Official Plan document has been prepared, which gives special consideration to revising and improving the policies and mapping relating to the following common comment themes: Provincial Policy Alignment, Agriculture, Clarity, Growth Management, Natural Environment, and On-Farm Diversified Uses. Comments received that were not consistent with Provincial Policy were not included in the revised Official Plan document.
- Draft Official Plan - Policies - June 2024 (PDF)
- Changes to the draft Official Plan - Policies - Tracking Matrix - June 2024 (PDF)
Draft Official Plan Map Viewer
In response to feedback received on the accessibility and scale of the previously released draft Official Plan map(s), an online interactive Draft Official Plan Map Viewer has been created by the County’s GIS department. The Draft Official Plan Map Viewer includes numerous tools for landowners and residents to use to view their property and better understand the Official Plan maps and designations applicable to their property.
The Draft Official Plan Map Viewer along with a tutorial video and instructions on how to use the Map Viewer are available here.
Timeline
At-a-glance Timeline:
Phase 3 - Complete |
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The draft text for the new Official Plan was prepared by WSP Consulting, and then reviewed and revised by staff at the Perth County Planning Department. The Official Plan Steering Committee, comprised of the municipal Mayors and Chief Administrative Officers, as well as the County Warden and Chief Administrative Officer reviewed and discussed the draft text from March 2023 to August 2023. Agency staff including Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs, the Conservation Authorities, Source Water Protection and Stratford Social Services were consulted through the preparation of the draft policies. Complete MappingThe mapping is a critical component of the New OP – it identifies designations for every property in the County. Efforts on behalf of Planning and GIS Staff prior and during this Phase include:
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Phase 4 - Complete |
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Under Section 17 of the Planning Act, R.S.O 1990, c.P.13, the public must be given the opportunity to review the draft Official Plan and all supporting information and materials, which include the Perth County Comprehensive Review, the New Official Plan Policy Directions Report, the Perth Natural Heritage Systems Study (October 2018), and the Perth Natural Heritage Systems Study Update (June 2019). Under the Planning Act, Section 17 subsection (18) an open house shall be held no later than seven days before the public meeting. The public meeting will take place in Fall 2024. The draft Official Plan and supporting reports are also available for public viewing throughout the County at the following locations:
The opportunity for public engagement on the draft Official Plan through Open Houses which are happening from 4:30 to 8:30 pm with a presentation at 5:30 pm:
*There will be a virtual meeting option on Wednesday February 7 at 5:30 pm. Please register to attend virtually by e-mailing: newofficialplan@perthcounty.ca. Please note all libraries listed above (with the exception of Atwood) are open the evening of Wednesday February 7 should you need access to a computer to attend. Local Council presentations on the new Official Plan happened in January and February 2024. Videos of the presentation can be found for each of the local municipalities: West Perth, North Perth, Perth East, and Perth South. Should you require alternate accommodations, please reach out to newofficialplan@perthcounty.ca for further assistance. If you have questions or comments please contact us at newofficialplan@perthcounty.ca with a detailed description including your name, property address, and nature of your concern. Planning staff will follow up to further clarify and assist you in this process. |
Phase 5 - Open Houses Summer 2024 |
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We are excited to share the updates to the second draft of the new Official Plan. Two Open House Information Sessions are scheduled for July 22, 2024:
The Open House will begin with a 15 minute update presentation, as shared below. Following the update presentation, Information Boards will be available throughout the room to further summarize the changes made to the Official Plan as a result of public feedback. Staff will also be distributed throughout the open house to answer questions. If you are unable to join us for an Open House Information Session on July 22nd, or you want a preview of the information to be shared, the video below shares the same presentation content that will be presented at both Open House events. The video reviews what an Official Plan is, the project timeline, a summary of what we heard as a result of recent community engagement, changes made as a result of feedback, as well as next steps and key dates. Click here to view the Display Boards that will be available for viewing at the information session. You are still welcome to provide comments. We ask that comments be submitted by August 30, 2024. Click here to contact us. If landowners have site-specific questions about their property in relation to the Draft Official Plan, appointments can be scheduled to meet in-person with a Policy Planner in your local municipal office on the following days:
To book an appointment please call 519-271-0531 ext 419 or email newofficialplan@perthcounty.ca |
About the New Official Plan
What is an Official Plan? |
| The Official Plan is a strategic planning document that guides the long-term vision for the growth and development of the communities within Perth County including the Municipalities of North Perth, and West Perth, and the Townships of Perth East and Perth South. |
Why a New Official Plan? |
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Our current Official Plan was created in the late 1990's. Since then policy direction from the Province has changed; most recently in the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) 2020. The County is in need of a new visionary and policy document that is both reflective of these updates and reflective of current community concerns, priorities and values. As well the New Official Plan will act as a guidance document for municipalities across the County to facilitate movement towards more advanced land use and social policies. The New Official Plan will amalgamate the current County Official Plan with those of member municipalities into a singular plan. This will ensure consistent policy implementation across the County and an easier to navigate planning framework. |
What is Addressed? |
An Official Plan deals with many types of issues, such as:
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Background Information
To review past reports and background information, click below.
Perth County Comprehensive Review |
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The Perth County Comprehensive Review provides population, employment, housing projections for a 30 year planning horizon. Perth County engaged Watson and Associates Economists Ltd to prepare a Comprehensive Review to determine land need requirements for the new Official Plan. With these projections, the Comprehensive Review determines the land supply required for residential, commercial and industrial growth for a 25 year planning horizon, as required by the 2020 Provincial Policy Statement. The first Perth County Comprehensive Review was finalized in April 2020. The 2020 Perth County Official Plan Update- Comprehensive Review is available by request from the Planning Department. In June 2021, County Council initiated an update of the Comprehensive Review to capture changes in economic trends resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic including increases in building permit activity. The 2023 Official Plan Update – Comprehensive Review was adopted by Perth County Council on November 2 2023. The 2023 Comprehensive Review was informed by the ‘Perth County Growth Forecast Update Memorandum (October 20, 2022)’ and the ‘Perth County Growth Allocation and Lands Needs Memorandum (April 6, 2023)’. |
New Official Plan Policy Directions Report |
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A background report on provincial policy considerations and updates since the last Official Plan review. It also includes community feedback that was collected from public engagement sessions in 2019. The report informs the policy updates and changes for the New Official Plan. The Policy Directions report was completed by WSP and finalized in April 2020. This document provides:
View the Perth County New Official Plan Policy Directions Report |
Perth Natural Heritage Systems Study - Report |
| This Study will be used to direct updated Natural Heritage policies for the New Official Plan. The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) was retained to develop a local framework for this project.
View the Perth Natural Heritage Systems Study (October 2018) View the Perth Natural Heritage Systems Study Update (June 2019) |
Past Project Updates |
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Contact Us
Contact us via phone: 519-271-0531 ext 419 or email: newofficialplan@perthcounty.ca
Looking to contact one of our Planning Staff? Click here.
Contact Us