Planning and Development

The Planning Act(the Act) is provincial legislation that sets out the ground rules for land use planning in Ontario. It describes how land uses may be controlled, and who may control them.

The Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) applies province-wide and contains policy direction related to:

• growth and development
• the use and management of resources
• the protection of the environment
• public health and safety

Municipalities are the primary implementers of PPS policies through:

• official plans
• zoning by-laws
• decisions on other planning matters

The Official Plan provides goals, objectives, policies, and procedures to guide the physical development of Hastings County while having regard for relevant social, economic, and environmental matters.

This Comprehensive Zoning By-law is intended to prohibit the use of land and the erection or use of buildings or structures for or except for such purposes as set down in this bylaw; to prohibit the erection or use of buildings on land which is subject to flooding, or on land by reason of its rocky, marshy or unstable character the cost of construction of satisfactory waterworks, sewage, or drainage facilities are prohibitive; to regulate the height, bulk, location, size, floor area, spacing, character, and use of buildings or structures; to regulate the minimum frontage and depth of a parcel of land and the portion of the area thereof that any building or structure may occupy; to require loading and parking facilities for buildings or structures erected or used for certain purposes; to prohibit the making or establishment of pits and quarries within defined areas and to regulate the making or establishment of pits and quarries within defined areas of the municipality.