A Pre-Consultation Meeting is an opportunity for landowners, developers, and other community members to discuss their building, land use, and development proposals with Township staff, and other relevant external parties (e.g., Conservation Authorities, the Ministry of Transportation, etc.), to determine what permissions might be required to move forward. These meetings are informal in nature, and are designed to help you work with the Township to see your project succeed!
The purpose of a Pre-Consultation Meeting is to:
- Provide an opportunity for the applicant to explain their proposal and obtain feedback;
- Confirm if any Planning Act applications are required; and,
- Allow commenting agencies to confirm required submission materials (e.g. plans/drawings, reports, studies, etc.) that must be included as part of the Planning Act application(s).
Please be advised that Pre-Consultation Meetings are held virtually to allow representatives from all external agencies to join the discussion. These meetings are typically held on Thursday's at 1:00pm or 2:00pm, however other dates and times may be entertained at the discretion of the Township.
Before submitting a Pre-Consultation Meeting request (see below), you are encouraged to reach out to the Township's Planning Technician to discuss the nature of your proposal. Pre-Consultation Meetings can be helpful for anyone, whether you are a potential home-buyer wanting to know how you could use a property of interest, or a developer considering a large-scale commercial or industrial project.
While Pre-Consultation Meetings are no longer mandatory by the Planning Act, the Township strongly encourages any applicants who will be required to undergo any of the following Planning Act applications to schedule one:
- Site Plan Control
- Zoning By-law Amendment
- Official Plan Amendment*
- Draft Plan of Subdivision*
- Draft Plan of Condominium*
*NOTE: Official Plan Amendments, and Subdivision / Condominium applications are under the County of Wellington’s jurisdiction and that discussion with the County is required prior to the submission of a pre-consultation request.
Once a Pre-Consultation Meeting request is received, staff may require 5-10 business days to review the application for completeness (i.e., making sure we have all the information we need to proceed). After your application is deemed complete, we aim to book you in for a meeting within 2-3 weeks, or at the next possible meeting depending on staff availability. During your Pre-Consultation Meeting, you will receive verbal comments from staff related to your application. We aim to provide formal written comments that you can use to move forward with your application no more than 2-weeks after your meeting.
All-in-all, the Pre-Consultation Meeting process can usually be completed within 5-weeks of an application being submitted, however delays may occur depending on the nature of the application, and the volume of requests the Township is managing when your application is submitted.
Please see the application portal where you can submit a Pre-Consultation Meeting request at the bottom of this page. The following information will be required to move forward with a Pre-Consultation Meeting:
- Location / address of the property;
- Current use of the property (e.g., residential, commercial, industrial, etc.);
- 1-2 page summary of the proposal; and,
- Detailed concept / site plan;
NOTE: The Township may rely on external consultants to undertake peer review as part of the Pre-Consultation Meeting process. The applicant shall be required to pay all third-party costs encurred as a result of this process.
Please complete and submit the following form to request a Pre-Consultation Meeting. Please reach out to the Township's Planning Technician should you have any questions or concerns.