By Cecilia Nasmith Northumberland 89.7/Today’s Northumberland
Though Northumberland County is confident no significant woodlands will be impacted by the newest Provincial Planning Statement, Save Our Trees chair Robert Fishlock appealed to council’s Economic Development, Tourism, Land Use Planning Committee meeting for December not to let history repeat itself.
Fishlock related his experience last year, when Save Our Trees was formed in the Municipality of Port Hope in hopes of saving a “significant woodlot” from being developed. During their campaign, he recalled, “the consultant for the developer that justified the destruction of the whole woodlot, notwithstanding that it was identified in the Official Plan as a significant woodlot.”
In the end, they lost every tree they’d tried to save.
Fishlock was the only member of the public to speak during this portion of the committee meeting – a public meeting on changes to the county’s Natural Heritage System to ensure it aligns with the Provincial Planning Statement that came into effect Oct. 20 this year.
He spoke following a presentation from Meridian Planning President Nick McDonald, in which he said that the policy resulting from the most recent PPS has loosened up regulations on development in or adjacent to significant woodlands, so that it is now allowed “provided you can demonstrate no negative impact.”
As well, McDonald continued, the policies on buffer lands are now more flexible as they apply in urban and rural-settlement areas. And in the newest PPS, the mandatory vegetation-protection zoning is gone.
“How do you interpret ‘no significant effect?’” Fishlock asked.
“It was interpreted extremely broadly to the benefit of the developer. I would not want to see identified natural-heritage features compromised so readily,” he said of the experience in Port Hope.
“It could be a huge loophole in the system.”
Acting Director of Planning and Economic Development Dwayne Campbell remembered the Save Our Trees campaign, but said that history will not necessarily be repeated.
“Moving forward, we will have a robust policy that applies across the county, so what should be happening in Port Hope and the other municipalities on the other side of the county should be more consistency in the way these policies are applied,” Campbell stated.
“We will give more consideration to better interpret and evolve the no-negative-impact test.”
“The Official Plan does have a fairly robust environmental-impact-study framework,” McDonald agreed.
“Every municipality, including the county, has the ability to peer-review those studies to make sure its conclusions are dependable.
“The policy framework will apply consistently across the county and, I think, serve the county very well moving forward.”
