A Foundation for Community Building

The official plan lays the “foundation” for building a good community. As a foundation, it provides a vision of the City, identifies how the vision can be reached, and establishes a monitoring program for checking progress and making necessary adjustments. All development in Pickering must conform to the City's approved official plan.

In the 1970s, Pickering (at that time, a Town) prepared its first official plan, the “Pickering District Plan” (before that, there had been an official plan for the previous Township of Pickering). The District Plan served the Town well for many years, but by the late 1980s it had become dated, and needed to be replaced. Work on a new official plan began in late 1992, and a new official Plan, the Pickering Official Plan, was completed in 1997.  It is described in more detail below.

The City of Pickering is located within the Region of Durham. The Region also has an official plan (the Durham Regional Official Plan).  The most recent version was approved in 1993, but it is currently under review. The Regional Plan provides the overall direction and framework for local plans. The City’s official plan must fit within and conform to the Regional official plan. The Region of Durham’s website is www.region.durham.on.ca.

An Official Plan is a statutory document which sets out the land use policy directions for long-term growth and development in a municipality. It is not to be confused with the Zoning By-law, which further details the broad range of land uses set out in the Official Plan. The current Official Plan for the City of Pickering was approved by the Region of Durham on September 24, 1997.

The Pickering Official Plan contains policies governing various land use designations, such as Residential Areas, Mixed Use Areas, Employment Areas, Agricultural Areas, Study Areas and Open Space. These designations are broadly established on a land use map. Other policies relate to Transportation, Economic Development, Housing , Community Services, Cultural Heritage, Community Design, Resource Management, the Urban Neighbourhoods, Rural Settlements, Implementation and Interpretation.

While the Official Plan is intended to establish the policies for long-term growth, the Plan is periodically reviewed to ensure that it continues to meet the changing economic, social and environmental requirements of the municipality. Occasionally it is necessary to amend the policies and / or designations contained in the Official Plan in order to facilitate new development or redevelopment proposals. The Ontario Planning Act and Regulations establish a process which allows a Council or an individual to request an Amendment to the Official Plan at any time. The process is intended to achieve the following objectives:

• provide fair notice to all those who might have an interest in the proposed amendment,
• to allow people to provide input to Council on the proposed amendment, and
• provide an opportunity to challenge a Council decision at the Ontario Municipal Board.

Compendium Document to the Pickering Official Plan

Chapter Eleven of the Pickering Official Plan provides detailed policies for each of the City’s fifteen urban neighbourhoods, including the delineation of detailed review areas. These are areas within neighbourhoods that require further guidance on what and where development should occur. In essence, the guidelines act as a bridge between Official Plan policy and implementing Zoning By-laws, by addressing such matters as: 

• detailed land use mix and arrangement;

• scale and intensity of use; 

• transportation network;

• community design requirements;

• servicing arrangements; and

• any other matter Council deems necessary.

As discussed in section 11.2(e) of the Pickering Official Plan, this Compendium Document contains development guidelines adopted by City Council. Development applications, including subdivision, rezoning, site plan and building permits must conform to the direction provided by the relevant guideline. These guidelines are to be read in conjunction with all sections of the Pickering Official Plan.

Copies of the Pickering Official Plan and Compendium Document are available for viewing at, or for purchase from the Planning & Development Department. Copies are also available for viewing at the Public Library, or by opening the files below.  These documents may be downloaded free of charge.

For further information on the Pickering Official Plan, and/or for information on the Amendment process, please contact the Planning & Development Department.

PDF Files:

• City of Pickering Official Plan  [right click to download,  PDF 9.3 mb]

Compendium Documents:

Part I - Area Specific Development Guidelines

• Introduction [PDF 05 kb]

Part 2 - General Development Guidelines

• Kingston Road Corridor Urban Design [PDF 805 kb]

For more information about land-use planning, please visit the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing website:

• MAH Citizens Guide to Land Use Planning