Huron County has Announced a New Online Program for Submitting Land Use Planning Applications in Huron

by Bob Montgomery

The County of Huron along with all nine local municipalities are pleased to announce the launch of a cloud-based software for all planning applications. 

All residents and professionals can now submit applications online through a new cloud-based solution called Cloudpermit. Senior County Planner Craig Metzger says the new program provides a single window for all applicants, regardless of which municipality they're in, to submit a planning application. “They make their initial contact through it, they submit their application, municipal staff are then able to circulate the application to various agencies and municipal staff and get comments back and then all of the information related to the application is available in one location for both the applicant, the municipalities, the agencies, so everyone knows what the most recent version, plans or application is that's being considered.”

How much time that will save will vary from project to project but they do know that it does save time. South Huron has been using the program for the last two years for their own applications and they found when it comes to circulating and getting comments back from staff and agencies, it saves as much as a couple of weeks in some cases. He says it's just that much more convenient and easier for staff and agencies to provide comments when it's all centralized and available 24/7 because it's online.

The goal, particularly on the residential side, is to build homes safely as fast as they can. So keep the process but find ways to be much more efficient as they move through the process. The new program is very helpful for developers who are working in more than one municipality because they now have one single place where they can track all of their projects whether they're in Clinton, Goderich or Wingham, they'll be able to go in through that one interface and see all of the planning projects they have in those municipalities.

The system can be accessed by visiting the County of Huron’s Planning and Development Planning Applications webpage at: https://www.huroncounty.ca/plandev/forms/