Elgin County Official Plan

Planning & Policy

County of Elgin

Elgin County, Ontario

2023-2024

GIS & Digital Twin

Since Elgin County adopted its first Official Plan in 2013, the context for growth has changed considerably. New development pressures, evolving housing needs, infrastructure considerations, and changing provincial policy created an opportunity to rethink how the County plans for the decades ahead.

Re:Public led the development of a new Official Plan that brings these priorities together within a shared vision for Elgin through 2054. Developed alongside County staff and the seven local municipalities, the Plan balances County-wide direction with the different needs and opportunities of Elgin’s communities, guiding growth, supporting more housing choice, and protecting the agricultural, rural, and natural systems that make the County distinct.

Planning for All Housing Needs

Housing needs are different across Elgin’s communities and change throughout a person’s life. The new Plan takes a broader approach to housing, supporting a range of options across the housing continuum from emergency and supportive housing to rental housing and homeownership, with a focus on affordability, choice, and the ability to remain within the community as needs change.

New policies encourage a greater mix of housing forms, protect rental housing, support additional dwelling units and community housing, and establish a County-wide affordable housing target.

Clear Direction for Implementation

An Official Plan needs to set a long-term vision, but it also needs to provide clear, practical direction for the people who use it every day. The new Plan was intentionally written in plain language and organized to make complex planning policies easier to understand, interpret, and implement.

Clear policy direction is supported by strategic objectives, mapping, development requirements, and decision-making criteria, creating a framework that can be consistently applied by the County and its local municipalities.

Growing in the Right Places

Growth across Elgin looks different from one community to the next. Communities closer to London and St. Thomas are experiencing greater development pressure, while much of the County retains its rural and agricultural character. The new Official Plan responds with a three-tier settlement hierarchy based on servicing, amenities, employment opportunities, and community function.

Rather than applying the same approach everywhere, the framework directs most growth to fully serviced communities while establishing an appropriate scale of development for smaller settlements. This creates a common County-wide approach while recognizing the distinct role and capacity of each community.

Supporting Elgin’s Agricultural System

Growth is balanced with stronger protection for the systems and places at the heart of Elgin’s identity and economy. The Plan recognizes the County’s agricultural land base as part of a broader interconnected agricultural system, linking farmland with agricultural operations, processing, infrastructure, agri-tourism, and related businesses.

That same place-based approach extends to Elgin’s natural areas, historic communities, downtowns, main streets, waterfronts, and scenic routes, supporting economic development and tourism while protecting the rural and small-town character that distinguishes the County.