Align amendments to older plans with the municipal development plan to ensure compliance to regional plans
Careful planning pays off. The MD of Taber has counted on attentive planning practices from before the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan was enacted to confidently meet the compliance requirements of the regional plan.
Ensuring that major planning documents were in compliance with the regional plan was not the biggest challenge for the MD of Taber. Rather, the complication came from planning documents that were created years or even decades before the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan was introduced.
“The challenge is some of the older area structure plans that are still on the books wecertainly don’t want to rescind,” said Bonnie Brunner, planning advisorfor the MD of Taber with the Oldman River Regional Services Commission.
“We will probably recommenda policy in the municipal development plan about the fact that these are in place and that is how they are.”
Focusing on the compliance of municipal development plans with regional plans will contribute to the older plans meeting compliance.
“If there are any amendments to the area structure plans, then they will have to be in compliance with the municipal development plan – which is of course in compliance with the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan,” said Brunner.
The planning team at the MD of Taber has benefited from preparation for the regional plan, and now they can focus on major changes expected in the near future – from changes to the Municipal Government Act to preparing Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks.
As other municipalities prepare for compliance or the introduction of regional plans, Brunner recommended to always monitor policy changes through the lens of your community.
“Understand your region and understand what might actually be able to be implemented in a reasonable way.”
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