ERIN – A deal has been struck with Halton Crushed Stone (HCS) that would enable expansion of its gravel pit south of Erin village, if it is approved by a provincial tribunal.
Negotiations between the Town of Erin and the company have resulted in an agreement that will be discussed behind closed doors during the April 16 Erin council meeting, which starts at 6:30pm.
Mayor Allan Alls said that following the closed session, details will be made public.
“I will be reporting out next Tuesday and going through the whole memorandum of understanding,” he said.
A case management conference will be held by the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) at the Town of Erin offices on June 17 at 10am, which could result in approval of the plan.
“We actually got a pretty good deal, or at least as best as I could get,” said Alls.
“I know there will be people unhappy, and there’s not much I can do about that. I just want it over and cleaned up. I started fighting this pit in 1975.”
Members of the public may be allowed to make presentations at the LPAT conference, but they must register and provide a copy of their presentation to LPAT, HCS and the town by May 21.
LPAT says such a submission should explain how a decision or non-decision under consideration is inconsistent with a provincial policy statement, fails to conform to a provincial plan or fails to conform to a local official plan.
Participation at the case management conference is not guaranteed for residents. LPAT may deny participation to those making submissions, or appoint one person to speak on behalf of a group.
The tribunal will discuss opportunities for settlement, including mediation or other dispute settlement techniques. More information is available from LPAT case coordinator Tamara Zwarycz at 416-326-6790, tamara.zwarycz@ontario.ca.
HCS lawyer Marc Kemerer released a letter to interested parties saying that HCS, the town and the county had “arrived at settlement,” including proposed changes to the town and county official plans and the town zoning bylaw.
The company had appealed to LPAT after the town delayed making a decision about the controversial plan.
Local residents had many concerns, including noise, dust, traffic, setback distances from nearby homes and possible recycling of used asphalt on the site.
