Consultation planned on updated mapping for Growth Management amendment to County Official Plan

Cobourg, ON – May 1, 2024 –Northumberland County will present updated maps and policies related to long-term growth and land needs in Northumberland at an upcoming Open House and Public Meeting. Feedback will be gathered from community members during these sessions to inform the development of a Growth Management Amendment to the County’s Official Plan.

About the Growth Management Amendment

The Growth Management amendment is the second amendment process undertaken as part of Northumberland Next – an initiative to update the County Official Plan through the introduction of a series of amendments, guiding community growth and development in Northumberland over the next 30 years.

Provincial forecasts estimate a population of 122,000 people in Northumberland County by the year 2051. Consistent with the County’s Community Strategic Plan direction to ‘guide this growth with intention’, this amendment process will help inform how new development will be planned, phased, and accommodated to meet the needs of anticipated local growth.

The Growth Management amendment allocates population, employment and housing forecasts across Northumberland and proposes expansions to the Port Hope Urban Area to accommodate new employment and residential uses, as well as expansions to the Grafton and Codrington Rural Settlement Areas for residential development.

About the consultation process

In 2021, the Northumberland Next project team presented a draft Growth Management Amendment to the County Economic Development, Tourism, Land Use Planning Committee and the public. Since then, this draft amendment has been available for review and feedback. In 2022, the County also hosted a second round of consultations, including a Virtual Open House and Virtual Public Meeting, to obtain additional feedback on the proposed changes.

The project team has since consolidated feedback from the first two rounds of consultation and has prepared updated mapping and supporting reports for the proposed expansions.

Community members are invited to attend one of two up coming consultation sessions to learn more, ask questions and provide feedback:

• A drop-in open house with two scheduled 15-minute presentations from County staff and consultants, followed by a Question & Answer period.
• A public meeting with a 15-minute presentation to the Economic Development, Tourism, Land Use Planning Committee and the public for feedback, followed by a Question & Answer period.

Residents and stakeholders who are unable to attend these consultation sessions may also review the documents online and provide feedback or comments by email until July 12, 2024.

This feedback will be considered in the development of the final report and recommendations, which will be presented to County Council for adoption in September 2024. Once adopted by Council, the Growth Management amendment will be submitted to the province for approval, and then integrated into the County’s Official Plan.

To learn more about the Northumberland Next initiative and the Growth Management amendment, visit Northumberland.ca/ NorthumberlandNext. On this webpage, residents can sign up to receive project updates directly to their inbox, and can view or request project maps, documents and reports.

Consultation Session Details

In-Person Open House

Date: Thursday, May 23, 2024: 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Details: Two 15-minute presentations at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., followed by Q&A
Address: Main Boardroom, County building, 600 William Street, Cobourg

Hybrid Public Meeting—Economic Development, Tourism, Land Use Planning Committee Meeting

Date: Wednesday, June 5, 2024: 1:00 p.m.
Details: This meeting will be held using a hybrid meeting model:

• Attend in person: Council Chambers, 555 Courthouse Road, Cobourg
• Watch the live stream: visit Northumberland.ca/Council
• Join Online: visit Zoom.US/Join
  • Zoom Meeting ID: 839 5088 1410
  • Zoom Meeting Passcode: 115874
  • Join by phone(toll-free) using Zoom by calling 855-703-8985