The critical importance of natural and cultural heritage conservation as well as growth management amendments to the Town of Oakville’s Official Plan (Livable Oakville) were approved on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 by Town Council. These changes call for an updated urban structure section introduced into the plan, including key updates to the cultural heritage policies.
“These new amendments to our official plan will help us to manage growth and development within our existing boundaries while conserving the town’s heritage resources,” said Mayor Rob Burton.
The Urban Structure Official Plan Amendments are the result of the town’s Urban Structure Review which aims to:
- protect natural and cultural heritage and open space
- maintain stable residential neighbourhoods, and
- direct growth to an identified system of urban nodes and corridors.
The amendments also provide for revisions to the North Oakville East and West Secondary Plans to align them with the changes to the Livable Oakville Plan.
The Cultural Heritage Policy Official Plan Amendments will update cultural heritage policies and related definitions in the Livable Oakville Plan to be consistent with applicable Provincial legislation and policies, and to support the implementation of the Ontario Heritage Act and the town’s Cultural Heritage Landscape Strategy.
The Urban Structure Review and the Cultural Heritage Policy Updates were part of the town’s ongoing Official Plan Review project, where all existing land use policies are being reviewed and updated to ensure alignment with the most current Provincial legislation and policies as well as local studies.
An official plan is a legal document containing goals, objectives, and policies intended to guide land use, development and growth in a municipality. Oakville's official plan is comprised of the Livable Oakville Plan and the North Oakville East and West Secondary Plans. The Planning Act requires a review of the official plan every five years. For more information about the town’s Official Plan Review.