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Background

The Region of Durham initiated a Review of the Durham Regional Official Plan (ROP) in April of 2000.  The analysis of key policy areas was presented in four Discussion Papers that reviewed the performance of the Plan, and proposed directions to be considered to refine ROP policy, as follows: 

  • Towards a Sustainable and Healthy Environment;
  • Population, Employment and Urban Land;
  • Commercial Policy Review; and
  • Protecting Our Rural Resources.

Transportation issues were dealt with through the Durham Mobility Study process and more specifically through the Durham Transportation Master Plan.

A Recommended Directions Report for the environmental, commercial and rural components of the Review that would form the basis for amendments to the ROP for these issue areas was released in October 2004.  A proposed amendment for the transportation, commercial, rural and environmental components of the ROP Review was released in late 2005.   

A Recommended Directions Report, released in January 2006, presented staff recommendations on the population, employment and urban land component.  The recommended directions included population and employment forecasts that differed from those included in the Proposed Growth Plan.  It presented a “made in Durham” approach to the population and employment forecasts and urban land needs analysis component of the ROP Review.

A proposed amendment to implement the recommended directions related to the population, employment and urban land component was released on April 25, 2006.  This was followed by the release of the final Growth Plan effective June 16, 2006. 

On July 5, 2006, as a result of the release of the Growth Plan, the proposed amendment was revised to delete all policy and/or mapping components in conflict with the Growth Plan or that had to be addressed further in the Growth Plan conformity exercise.  The resulting Amendment 114 incorporating the transportation, commercial, rural, environmental and certain aspects of the population employment and urban land components of the Official Plan Review, was adopted by Regional Council on September 13, 2006.

The focus now is to undertake the conformity exercise necessary to implement the Growth Plan in Durham Region.