The County of Prince Edward is implementing several changes to improve the planning application and review process.
The updates will ensure that all concerned parties have opportunities to receive and provide input on planning applications much earlier in the process.
County Council approved the changes at its meeting on June 22, 2021 following several months of public consultation. The changes include:
- The elimination of public information reports in favour of applicants holding public information meetings where applicants would present their projects and answer questions from the public. The statutory public meeting required under the Planning Act will be the Planning Committee meeting and would only be held after the public meeting and when the assigned County planner has completed an analysis of the project.
- A formalized pre-consultation process whereby more internal departments would evaluate a proposal in advance of its formal submission. View the new planning process flow chart
- Expanding the notice radius for hamlets and rural areas to 500 metres from 120 metres
- Implementation of a consent agenda so that Planning Committee and/or Council can quickly deal with items that are non-confrontational, uncontested and do not require any discussion
In addition to improvements to the planning process, the municipality is introducing a new planning fee structure. Planning fees for the municipality have not been updated in nearly 10 years and do not reflect the true cost to the municipality for planning services.
The new fee structure approved by County Council is based on service level requirements and what staff believe will be acceptable in the marketplace. A majority of application fees will increase 10%. Click here to view the new planning fee structure, which will come into effect on July 14, 2021. For more information about the changes, read the staff report to Council.
If you have any questions regarding the changes, contact Michael Michaud, Manager of Planning Planner, at 613.476.2148 extension 2025 or email mmichaud@pecounty.on.ca.