AWARE Simcoe welcomes Province’s appeal of Midhurst Secondary Plan
Province states plan is premature and does not conform to existing planning policies
ELMVALE – AWARE Simcoe welcomes the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing appeal of the Midhurst Secondary Plan, approved by Simcoe County on October 12.
AWARE Simcoe chair Don Morgan wrote to Municipal Affairs Minister Katharine Wynne last week, urging her to defend provincial policies aimed at directing growth in Simcoe County to urban nodes and preserving the county’s rural character.
“The massive development that is proposed will erase hundreds of hectares of exceptionally productive Class I and II agricultural land, and the infrastructure that has to be built to support this sprawling community will traverse unique and environmentally sensitive areas,” Morgan wrote
Morgan said the plan is contrary to the provincial interest in a number of areas, including the protection of agricultural resources, the orderly development of safe and healthy communities and the promotion of sustainable development.
In a letter sent to the County of Simcoe on Friday, provincial lawyer Irvin Shachter states the grounds for the appeal of the Midhurst Secondary plan (also known as Springwater Official Plan Amendment 38):
-It does not conform to the Province’s growth plan relating to population and density
-It does not conform to Provincial Policy Statements relating to management of growth
-It does not conform to the County’s Official Plan
-It is premature
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