Land Use Planning and Development

Lavery’s knowledge of municipal and government circles and links to umbrella organizations enables us to quickly determine underlying issues and identify solutions.

We also have the skills to act as litigators, arbitrators, or mediators, offering all the services needed to help you establish or pursue your activities. 

All human activities take place in a host environment, and few require no infrastructure or changes to that environment. The harmonization of uses and their integration in the natural environment has always given rise to concerns, sometimes even disputes.

Over time, these implementation and usage problems have led to the development of a wide range of codes and standards, each meeting different and sometimes conflicting objectives, and all needing to be respected. So it is important to understand the meaning and implications of terms such as urbanized environment, provincial agricultural zone, wetlands, steep slope zones, flood plains, shoreline strips, vegetation cover, buffer zones, and separation distance. After all, ignorance of the law is no excuse!

Land use planning and development is a modern concept incorporating many factors, each with its own rules and regulations, which frequently clash. This new area of legal expertise draws on many types of knowledge involving many different regulations, stakeholders, decision-making bodies, government levels, and judicial tools. Not to mention that if there is one area in which the public has its say, this is it!