ERIN – Residents of Erin village concerned about a proposed gravel pit expansion near the BelErin subdivision will make their case at a Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT) hearing at town hall next week.
Three days have been set aside for the hearing, starting Oct. 16, with Halton Crushed Stone (HCS) expected to call expert witnesses to show that it has complied with all planning rules and environmental precautions.
Residents of the Aspen McCullough Alliance, represented by Ed Delaporte, will ask that the currently-proposed 90 metre setback of the pit, just across the road from their homes, be increased to 300 meters.
The previous gravel pit owner, Dufferin Pits, had observed a 300-metre setback, even though it was not required by law.
A change to the Official Plan to require a 300-metre setback next to urban centres was proposed in 2013, but not approved until December of 2014.
In late 2014, Dufferin sold the pit to HCS, which is claiming the right to proceed with gravel extraction on land already zoned for that purpose since 1973.
An OMB ruling in 1976 upheld the zoning, based on the assumption that extraction would take place prior to nearby housing development.
As it turned out, both extraction and the BelErin subdivision started in 1994.
The town and county have now negotiated a settlement with HCS for a 90-metre setback and extraction time limits, but it does not have the support of the residents’ group.
Delaporte said he will not be calling witnesses, but simply asking the tribunal to rule that the requirement for the current standard of a 300-metre setback be applied as an accommodation for the residents.
