A Site Plan is a document which describes and illustrates the various features on a development site. These features include the building location, landscaping, drainage, parking, pedestrian access, lot entrances and exits, and others.
A Site Plan may be required before a building permit can be issued, and all development must comply with the requirements of the Township’s Zoning By-law.
A Site Plan is needed for:
- Construction of a new building or structure;
- Construction of an addition to an existing building;
- Undertaking major building renovations, which increases the size or usability of a building or structure; or
- Establishing a commercial parking lot.
In accordance with the Site Plan Control By-law and Planning Act, a Site Plan Application is not required for the following:
- Single detached dwellings, semi-detached dwellings, and duplex dwellings, unless the purpose is to protect a feature of the greenland system as defined by the County of Wellington Official Plan, or unless the residential units are part of a land lease project.
- A building or structure containing no more than 10 residential units.
- Agricultural buildings and structures (unless the use is commercial or industrial).
- Buildings and structures for flood control or conservation purposes.
Note: A Site Plan/Concept Plan may be requested at the discretion of the Township and its consultants.
If yes, please visit the Site Plan Amendment web page.
For the cost of a Site Plan Application, please refer to the Township’s Planning Service Fee By-law #17/2024 located here.
Please note: The Township uses consultants for Planning, Engineering, and Legal services. The Township’s planning processes operate on a user-fee basis. As such, all consulting costs incurred by the Township in the processing of an application are to be paid by the applicant. Additional fees may be required by external commenting agencies, such as the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) or Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO).
The County of Wellington serve as our Planning Consultants. Their Planning & Land Division Fees can be found online here. Please refer specifically to the Local Municipal Charges for their consultant fees.
If the application is approved, a Letter of Credit for the required security deposit (a percentage of the overall cost of internal and external works) and a Certificate of Insurance must be submitted before the Site Plan Agreement can be registered on-title. The security deposit will be refunded after construction has concluded and the site has been inspected for compliance with the approved plans.
Application requirements are to be confirmed as part of the Pre-Consultation Meeting. For more information click here.
In general, the following plans, drawn to metric scale and prepared by a qualified professional in compliance with the Zoning By-law, must be provided as part of your application:
- Legal Description (if required)
- Site Plan
- Site Servicing and Grading Plan (if required)
- Building Elevations (if required)
- Lighting Plan (if required)
- Landscape Plan (if required)
- General Vegetation Overview (if required)
- Tree Preservation Plan (if required)
- Ontario Building Code Analysis
Once you have spoken with the Planning Department regarding your proposal, you will need to submit a formal pre-consultation meeting request. Click here for more information.
For more information regarding the Township’s Site Plan Approval process, please contact the Planning Department at planning@get.on.ca.
Process Overview:
- Preliminary discuss to determine compatibility of the use with the Zoning By-law
- Pre-Consultation Meeting to identify required submission materials
- Application deemed complete to proceed
- Application is circulated to agencies and staff for review and comment
- Note: comments are to be addressed by the applicant Additional circulations will occur until all comments have been adequately addressed through revisions
- Once the proposal has been finalized and all comments addressed, a Site Plan Agreement will be drafted by the Township and circulated to the applicant for review
- Site Plan Agreement is finalized and approved by staff
- Applicant is to return a signed copy of the agreement with a letter of credit for the securities, including the site plan deposit, and certificate of insurance
- Township to sign and register agreement on-title
- Building Permit Application
Once construction has concluded, the site is inspected to verify compliance with the Site Plan Agreement. If compliant, the site plan deposit is returned.
Before submitting a Site Plan Application, please make sure that you have prepared the necessary submission materials identified during the Pre-Consultation Meeting.
In addition to the submission requirements outlined during the pre-consultation process, depending on the type of proposed development, you will also be required to complete one or more of the following information sheets:
If the applicant is not the owner of the property, you will be required to fill out the following form:
Once you have prepared all necessary documents, you can submit your Site Plan Application using the following form: