Planning Applications

The County of Essex Manager of the Planning Services is the approval authority for official plans, official plan amendments, plans of subdivision, plans of condominium and part lot control exemptions in the County.

Pre-consultation with the County Planning Services Department is mandatory before submitting any development application. Complete a pre-consultation with the municipality before contacting County Planning Services and ensure the municipality has confirmed the feasibility of the development.

To request a pre-consultation meeting with planning staff, fill out a Pre-consultation Request.

Pre-consultation Request

An applicant who is not the registered owner of the subject property must get written authorization from the registered owner to proceed with the pre-consultation review process. The applicant should download and complete the Owner’s Authorization Form to act/inquire on the registered owner’s behalf. Ensure that all registered owners of the property/properties have signed the consent form. A link to the form is also included in the Pre-consultation Request.

Plans of Subdivision/Condominium

The County of Essex was delegated authority by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing in 2005 to approve subdivisions and condominiums. County Council subsequently delegated its approval authority to the Manager of Planning Services. All applications made for plans of subdivision and condominiums within the County of Essex must be submitted to the Planning Services Department for approval.

Before requesting a pre-consultation meeting with the Planning Services Department, the applicant must consult with the local municipality’s planning department to ensure that the proposed subdivision or condominium plan is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, conforms to the County Official Plan and the local municipal official plan, and complies with the zoning by-law. The municipality will also confirm if there is adequate servicing available for the development and if it is generally supportive of the development.

The application process will not normally continue past the pre-consultation meeting unless the development conforms to the County and local official plans or is the subject of a concurrent application to amend an official plan. It is the general policy of the County that if the proposal is not permitted by the applicable official plan, that the application is considered incomplete and therefore cannot be accepted. If a rezoning is required, the necessary application should be filed with the local municipality at the same time as the subdivision/condominium application.

Plan of Subdivision and Condominium Application Form

Part Lot Control

The County is the final approval authority for part lot control exemption by-laws approved by the seven local municipalities. Local consultation should occur to determine whether the exemption will be deemed appropriate by the municipality. Following the initial consultation, the municipality will typically consult with the County prior to putting a part lot control exemption by-law before municipal council.

Municipalities can pass a by-law exempting a parcel of land situated in a registered plan of subdivision from part lot control to allow the registration of a reference plan to divide the land into several parcels or to change existing lot lines.

To proceed with an exemption from part lot control, the proposal must conform to the official plan and zoning by-law. If not, a rezoning or minor variance application must be submitted, approved and finalized prior to Council enacting the exemption part lot control by-law.

The County of Essex will accept the following types of applications for exemption from part lot control:

Creation of townhouse lots;
Creation of semi-detached lots; and
Mechanical severances such as additions to lots, the creation of easements and land dedications.

Local Municipal Official Plan Amendment

The County of Essex is the approval authority for local municipal official plans and official plan amendments. Applications for local municipal official plan amendments are submitted to the local municipality and if adopted by the local municipal council, are forwarded to the County for a decision. The local municipality is required to consult with the County while preparing an official plan and/or amendment.

County of Essex Official Plan Amendment

Applications to amend the County of Essex Official Plan are made directly to the County. Please submit a Pre-consultation Request to begin the process.

County of Essex Official Plan Amendment Application Form