Email this pageParkway Belt West Plan
The Parkway Belt West Plan (PBWP) was implemented in 1978 for the purposes of creating a multi-purpose utility corridor, urban separator and linked open space system. The PBWP was a culmination of regional planning, greenbelt and greenway planning.
The four general goals of the plan were:
1. Separate and define the boundaries of urban areas, thus helping to provide the residents with a sense of community identification.
2. Link urban areas and areas outside the region by providing space for the movement of people, goods, energy, and information, without disrupting community integrity and function.
3. Provide a land reserve for future linear facilities (such as highways, electric power transmission corridors, and pipelines) and for unanticipated activities requiring sites of high accessibility and substantial land area.
4. Provide a system of open space and recreational facilities linked with each other, nearby communities and other recreational areas.
The Parkway Belt Planning and Development Act, 1973 (now the Ontario Planning and Development Act, 1994) was the implementing legislation for the PBWP.
The area covered by the PBWP was divided into two general land use categories, the Public Use Area and the Complementary Use Area.
Public Use Areas are defined as areas presently used, or to be predominantly used in the future, for infrastructure and open space related land use. The Public Use Areas consists of areas designated as: Public Open Space and Buffer Area, Utility, Electric Power Facility, Road, and Inter-Urban Transit.
Complementary Use Areas are to be predominantly used for private uses that aid in the PBWP’s objective of preserving the country landscape and encouraging land uses such as agricultural, recreational and institutional pursuits that do not require intense urbanization.
Under the Ontario Planning and Development Act, 1994, amendments to the PBWP can be initiated by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing or by application to the Minister. Since 1978, over 100 amendments to the Plan have been approved. For convenience, an Office Consolidation of the Plan, as amended, is provided in PDF format. This Office Consolidation does not constitute legal or planning advice but is provided for information purposes only.
- Parkway Belt West Plan, 1978View the 1978 Plan and its mapping
- Parkway Belt West Plan, 1978 (text only)View the text of the 1978 Plan
- Parkway Belt West Plan 1978 Consolidated to June 2008- view the Plan and its mapping as amended to June 2008 with reference to the approved amendments. For copies of the individual approved amendments, contact the local municipality where that amendment occurs or the Municipal Services Office noted below.
Contact:
Municipal Services Office – Central Region
777 Bay Street, 2nd Floor
Toronto, ON M5G 2E5
Local: (416) 585-6226
Toll-free: 1-800-668-0230