Planning and Development
The Oxford County Community Planning Office provides a variety of planning services for the eight area municipalities that comprise the County. A planner is assigned to the Township of South-West Oxford to respond to development inquires and provide professional planning advice and recommendations on all types of Planning Applications.
The following Applications are approved by the Council of the County of Oxford:
The following Application is approved by the County of Oxford's Land Division Committee:
The following Applications are approved by the Council of the Township of South-West Oxford:
- Zone Change.
- Minor Variances (approved by local Committee of Adjustment).
- Site Plan Control.
Minor Variance |
A Minor Variance is a small variation from the requirements of the Zoning By-Law. A Minor Variance Approval is a certificate of permission because it allows the property owner to obtain a Building Permit even though their property does not comply precisely with the Zoning By-Law. Under Section 45(1) of the Planning Act, there are four tests a Minor Variance must meet:
An Application for Minor Variance is required when applying for specific relief from one or more of their municipal Zoning By-Law provisions (e.g., yard setbacks, building height, parking, etc.) on a property. |
Site Plan Control |
In the Province of Ontario, the Planning Act authorizes municipalities to employ Site Plan Control as a land use tool to ensure the appropriate location of a development on a site; and to ensure the safety, attractiveness, and compatibility with the surrounding land.
Site Plan Approval is required for all commercial, industrial, institutional, private, recreational, or multi-family (medium density) residential types of development in the following situations:
If you are applying for a Building Permit, and your property is subject to the Site Plan Control, you may be required to enter into a Site Plan Control Agreement with the Township. Please read the Township's Site Plan Control By-Law and Site Plan Control Guidelines for additional information. For more information on the Site Plan process, please contact the Township Clerk or visit MMAH Land Use Planning for more general information. |
Permitted Uses (Zoning) |
The Township of South-West Oxford Zoning By-Law (No. 25-98) controls the use of land by dividing the municipality into different land use zones with detailed maps specifying the uses permitted in each zone, where buildings and other structures can be located, stating the types of buildings that are permitted and how they may be used, as well as specifying lot sizes and dimensions, parking requirements, building heights, and setbacks from the street.
To find the zoning for a property, open the "SWOX Zoning Map" below. On this Index Map, click on the number that is in the area of the subject property. This will open up a "Key Map" where you can then determine what the property is zoned as. To determine the permitted uses and provisions for the zoning, open the "Permitted Uses and Provisions" link below. - South - West Oxford Zoning Map. |
Changing a Property's Use (Zone Changes) |
If you want to use or develop a property in a way that is not currently permitted by the Township's Zoning By-Law, a Zone Change (also known as a Zoning By-Law amendment or a Rezoning) is typically required.
For more information on the Zoning By-Law Amendment process, please contact the Township Clerk or visit MMAH Land Use Planning: Zoning-Bylaws for more general information. |
Consents (Severances) |
A land severance is the authorized separation of a piece of land to form a new lot or a new parcel of land. This is commonly known as a Consent. Applications for Consent, or consent and minor variance, are received and processed by the County of Oxford's Land Division Committee who are comprised of seven lay members, and who meet once a month in the Council Chambers of the Oxford County Administration Building. All meetings are open to the public and if you wish to attend a meeting, please reference the current agenda for the start time of the meeting. The Township of South-West Oxford may submit comments on Consent Applications. However, the administration of these files is completed by members of Oxford County's Community and Strategic Planning Office. The Consent process is administered by the Secretary-Treasurer of the Land Division Committee who coordinates the Application and facilitates the processing of approvals through various agencies and individuals. To help you understand the Consent process, and the role of each stakeholder in the process, the Township has created a flow chart which is available here. |