Growth Management (Complete)
Northumberland County reviewed and updated maps and policies related to long-term growth and land needs in Northumberland County’s Official Plan.
What is Growth Management?
Current Provincial forecasts indicate that by the year 2051, Northumberland's population will grow to approximately 122,000 people and the workforce will grow to approximately 44,000 jobs.
To ensure our community is prepared for this future growth, we reviewed maps and policies related to long-term growth and land needs in Northumberland County’s Official Plan. This amendment process helped assess how new development will be planned, phased, and accommodated to the year 2051.
This process was required to bring the County’s Official Plan into conformity with the Growth Plan, 2019 (as amended), as well as to reflect current provincial policy direction and the County’s strategic initiatives.
The Growth Management Amendment assessed:
- Long-term population, housing and employment forecasts to 2051
- Allocations of population, housing and employment by Urban and Rural Area, as well as by planning policy area
- An analysis of urban Community Area land needs (to accommodate residential and population-related employment)
- An analysis of urban Employment Area land needs (to accommodate industrial type employment)
- A review and analysis of Employment Area conversion requests
Public consultation process
December 2021: Northumberland County launched the public consultation process for the Growth Management Amendment with a virtual presentation of our Growth Management Report and an online public review and comment period.
Spring 2022: We hosted a virtual open house and public meeting to provide additional information and opportunities for public feedback.
Spring 2024: With the consolidated feedback from the first two rounds of consultation, the project team prepared updated mapping and reports, which were presented for additional feedback at two open houses and a public meeting in spring 2024. These updated maps included proposed expansions to the Port Hope Urban Area to accommodate new employment and residential uses and proposed expansions to the Grafton and Codrington Rural Settlement Areas for residential development.
Spring 2025: With the feedback gathered during the consultations in 2024, the project team developed final recommendations for the Growth Management Amendment. Final recommendations for population, employment and housing forecasts as well as Major Employment Areas were presented to Committee for consideration in March 2025. These were endorsed by County Council and presented to the Province for approval. After receiving approval, these amendments came into effect on November 18, 2025.
Summer 2026: Final recommendations for Settlement Area expansions — originally assessed as part of the Growth Management Amendment — will be presented for consideration as part of the Agriculture Amendment in summer 2026.
Project timelines
December 2021 - Virtual public meeting
- Introduced the growth management amendment during a presentation of a Growth Management Report to the Northumberland County Economic Development, Tourism and Land Use Planning Committee meeting that took place on December 1, 2021. To watch this recording, please submit a request for the December 1st meeting link to our Request Form.
- Launched online review process of our Growth Management Report and Needs Analysis.
April/May 2022
- Virtual open house and public meeting regarding updates to growth management mapping and policies in the County Official Plan.
May-July 2024
- Two open houses and one public meeting regarding proposed expansions to the Port Hope Urban Area and the Grafton and Codrington Rural Settlement Areas.
March 2025
- Final recommendations for Phase 1 of the Growth Management Amendment were presented to the Economic Development, Tourism and Land Use Planning Committee for their consideration on March 5, 2025 and were endorsed by County Council on March 19, 2025.
- The amendment (Phase 1) was submitted to the Province for approval.
November 2025
- Amendment was approved by the Province and came into effect as of November 18, 2025.
News updates
2024
- Review and provide feedback on updated mapping for the Growth Management amendment to County Official Plan - May 1, 2024
2022
- Upcoming virtual consultations regarding Growth Management amendment to County Official Plan - April 7, 2022
Supporting documents
- Council Report - Adoption of County Official Plan Amendment No. 2 - Growth Forecast and Major Employment Area (March 5, 2025)
- Memo - County Growth Management Amendment Phase 1 (Jan 21, 2025)
- Amendment No. 2 to the Official Plan - Growth Management Phase 1 (Jan 16, 2025)
- Growth Management Report Executive Summary
- To view the proposed Settlement Areas mapping (Schedules X1 - X30), visit the Documents tab on the project page
- For a copy of the full draft Growth Management report or for supporting reports related to the proposed expansions to the Codrington Rural Settlement Area and Port Hope Urban Area, please submit a request through our Northumberland Next Report Request Form.
