Planning Department

Land Use Planning

Land use planning means managing our land and resources.

It helps each community to set goals about how it will grow and develop and to work out ways of reaching those goals while keeping an important social, economic and environmental concerns in mind. It balances the interest of individual property owners with the wider interests and objectives of the whole community.

Good planning leads to orderly growth and the efficient provision of services. It helps decide where in our communities residential, agricultural and business uses should be located; where parks and school should be located; where roads, sewers and other essential services should be provided.  It touches all of us and helps us to have the kind of community we want. 

Two of the tools used to plan land use are the Official Plan, and the Zoning By-law.

Official Plan

An Official Plan is a document in which policies for the planning and development of the municipality are described.  An Official Plan must be in compliance with the Provincial Policy Statement. 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; and
 *   community improvement initiatives.

The Official Plan for the Township of Perth South is the County of Perth Official Plan, which you can view on the County of Perth's website.

Zoning By-law

The Zoning By-law of the municipality implements the policies of the Official Plan.  The Zoning by-law controls the use of land by dividing the municipality into different land use zones, with detailed maps. The Zoning By-law specifies exactly:
 *   how land may be used;
 *   where buildings and other structures can be located;
 *   the types of buildings that are permitted and how they may be used; and
 *   the lot sizes and dimensions, parking requirements, building heights and setbacks from the street.

For a complete copy of the Office Consolidation of the Perth South Zoning By-law 4-1999 - click here and select folder "Planning"

Amendments to Official Plan/Zoning By-law

Proposals for amendments to the Official Plan must be in conformity with the Provincial Policy Statement. 

Proposals for amendments to the Zoning By-law must be in conformity with the Official Plan.   Where such proposals do not conform to the Official Plan, the applicant also has the option of applying to amend the Official Plan.

Council decisions on Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendment applications are based on matters such as appropriateness of the proposed development, land use compatibility, servicing, and need/justification.

For further information, you can view the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs website for a series of Citizens' Guides to Land-use Planning at http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page338.aspx

Application Forms

Perth South Subdivision Template - December 2012

Application for Approval of a Plan of Subdivision or Condominium Description

Application for Severance or Consent

Application for Minor Variance or Permission

Application for Zoning Bylaw Amendment or Local Official Plan Amendment

Please see our fee schedule for applicable fees.