At a Commitee of the Whole meeting on August 20, South Frontenac Council had their first opportunity to hear from consultant Brent Barnes concerning amendments to the township’s Official Plan that will be coming out of the 5-year review of the plan.

Generally speaking, there are two categories of amendments to the plan, Barnes explained. In the first category are those that are required for the plan to conform to changes in provincial legislation that have come about in the past five years. Conformity with the Provincial Policy Statement of 2005 is a priority of the province.

Brent Barnes noted that, “while the province used to want Official Plans to ‘have regard’ for the Provincial Policy Statement, they have tightened up the wording. Plans now must ‘be consistent with’ the Provincial Policy Statement.”

A second category of changes are those designed to clarify parts of the plan that have shown themselves to be vague or unworkable over the past few years. These problems have been revealed to the township’s planning department and the Committee of Adjustment in dealing with requests for development on certain kinds of property.

One such category is the establishment of lots on non-waterfront private lanes. In debating this, it was immediately obvious that the current council does not agree on whether the amended Official Plan should encourage, discourage, or ban these kinds of new lots.

Another issue of concern is development within hamlets, which Brent Barnes said is normally encouraged, but given potential water problems in communities such as Battersea, Harrowsmith, and Hartington, South Frontenac may not want to promote increased density in some hamlets.

One of the changes to the township over the past five years is the building of a water plant in Sydenham, and this will have to be dealt with in the revised plan, with a particular concern being how to deal with development on the borders of the Sydenham water system zone.

Brent Barnes informed council that he had met, along with Township Planner Lindsay Mills, with officials from all affected provincial ministries, and the Ministry of Mines and Northern Development is requesting that the township include a map outlining “areas of significant mineralization” which they say should be excluded from other kinds of development.

Councillor David Hahn, who was on council when the Official Plan was developed, said that the township simply did not include the map when they submitted the plan for approval the last time around, and the Province accepted it.

The ministry is expected to push harder for “areas of mineralization” this time.

There was much discussion on many issues, and little agreement, and council will have at least another session on the Official Plan before public consultations are held.