The removal of third party…

Commentaire

The removal of third party appeals is troublesome. The OLT has always been that "level playing field" that provides proper debate of issues and concerns. Removing the right to appeal could frustrate legitimate appeals dealing with infrastructure and cost sharing. For example one development project may need to accommodate the development of adjacent properties by sizing pipes or other infrastructure. That developer may refuse to do so and without the right to appeal the other project may have to incur significant costs that could otherwise have been shared. One developer erecting a high rise building may limit the redevelopment of adjacent lands because of building and fire code separation requirements. Appeal rights forces negotiations amongst these competing development projects--the level playing field. Perhaps limiting 3rd party appeals to abutting parcels only would address these concerns.
Also-if appeal rights are being removed from Planning Act applications they should also be removed from all other applications such as NEC Development Permit applications.