Council here is supporting an official plan amendment to address issues surrounding significant woodlands on a proposed gravel pit.
The amendment, once approved by Wellington County, will clear the way for development of the Plume gravel pit, owned by Hustonville Sand and Gravel Ltd. (formerly The Murray Group) at Part Lot 7, Concession A.
The effect of the amendment will be to change the land use designations by adding a mineral aggregate area overlay and refining the core green lands and green lands designations based on site level environmental analysis.
Last February, the county held off approval of the pit to determine the best approach to take regarding aggregate proposals in significant woodland areas.
“This trend is becoming an issue for us and we want to move carefully and create an appropriate precedent,” noted county senior planner Mark Van Patter in a report to Minto council at its Nov. 5 meeting.
Van Patter advised council that concerns expressed by the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority and Ministry of Natural Resources dating back to 2011 have been addressed in a revised proposal for the site.
The revised proposal will result in the loss of approximately 9.5 acres of forest land. Of this about 5.4 acres are mature sugar maple woodland, 3.3 acres are pine plantation and 0.8 acres are younger sugar maple woodland.
“The main issue in this application is whether forest loss outweighs the value of aggregate resources and providing for the expansion of an existing business,” stated Van Patter in his report. The planner feels the proposed pit should be favoured for the following reasons:
– it makes sense for existing pits to expand where possible;
– the pit will provide resource supply for an existing business;
– the same entrance is being used – no additional traffic or noise impacts are anticipated;
– the application was revised to mitigate impacts and there is a reduced area to be cleared;
– almost half of the 9.5 acres being cleared is either pine plantation or immature forest; and
– the north-south wooded corridor is to be maintained.
Van Patter also noted rehabilitation will result in most of the site being reforested, other than a pond/wetland and farm field.
He said forest coverage in rural Minto is approximately 21 per cent – even higher in the immediate area of the proposed pit.
“It is my opinion that issues over the significant woodlands on the subject lands have been resolved. The county’s peer reviewer has recommended some changes to the site plans and these have been agreed to by the applicant,” stated Van Patter, who said he would like to see the county planning committee deal with the OPA’s approval at its Nov. 14 meeting.
He recommended Minto council pass a resolution in support of the amendment and forward it to the county.
“Minto can consider approval of the associated zoning bylaw amendment once OPA 83 is adopted by the county and satisfactory changes have been made to the site plans,” Van Patter explained.
