Official Plan

The new Peterborough County Official Plan is in effect and is being used to develop the new Trent Lakes Zoning By-law scheduled for completion in the Summer of 2027.  The Trent Lakes Official Plan is scheduled for revocation at a future Council meeting.

If you are interested in long term growth forecasts, future development patterns, and strategies for protecting resources, you will want to look at the Official Plan for the Municipality of Trent Lakes. 

The County of Peterborough's Official Plan webpage has further information available.

The information below is subject to change upon completion and finalization of the County of Peterborough's land use schedules.

Find the designation for your property

You can find the Official Plan designation of your property:

• By viewing the Official Plan for the Municipality of Trent Lakes Schedules ‘A1, A2, A3', ‘A1-1 and A1-2';
• As a layer on the County of Peterborough Public GIS Website; or
• By contacting our Planning Department at 705-738-3800 ext. 246.

Apply for an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) 

If your proposed project doesn't align with the land use outlined in the Official Plan, you'll need to apply for an OPA.  You can view the OPA fees in Schedule E of our Fees and Charges By-law.

An OPA provides specific relief from our Official Plan if the Council of the County of Peterborough agrees the request conforms to the County of Peterborough Official Plan and the relevant Provincial interests.

Current County of Peterborough Official Plan Amendments can be found on their Planning dashboard.

About the Official Plan

Our Official Plan:

• Provides awareness to the public on the Township's general land use planning policies
• Makes sure that growth is coordinated and meets our community's needs
• Helps the community understand how their land may be used now and, in the future,
• Helps decide where roads, watermains, sewers, parks and other services will be built
• Provides a framework for establishing municipal zoning by-laws to set local regulations and standards, like the size of lots and height of buildings
• Provides a way to evaluate and settle conflicting land uses while meeting local, regional, and provincial interests
• Shows council's commitment to the future growth of our community