What is an official plan?
An official plan describes your upper, lower or single–tier municipal council’s policies on how land in your community should be used. It is prepared with input from you and others in your community and helps to ensure that future planning and development will meet the specific needs of your community.
An official plan deals mainly with issues such as:
- where new housing, industry, offices and shops will be located
- what services like roads, watermains, sewers, parks and schools will be needed
- when, and in what order, parts of your community will grow
- community improvement initiatives.
Why do you need an official plan?
Your municipality’s official plan:
- lets the public know what the municipality’s general land use planning policies are
- makes sure that growth is coordinated and meets your community’s needs
- helps all members of your community understand how their land may be used now and in the future
- helps decide where roads, watermains, sewers, garbage dumps, parks and other services will be built
- provides a framework for establishing municipal zoning by-laws to set local regulations and standards, like the size of lots and height of buildings
- provides a way to evaluate and settle conflicting land uses while meeting local, regional and provincial interests
- shows council’s commitment to the future growth of your community.
