PPU for Old Aylmer enters next phase 

Taylor Clark

A vision for the future of Old Aylmer has begun to take shape after citizens participated in the first in a series of consultations for the sector’s Special Urban Planning Program (PPU) on September 18.

“It's often said that you have to know where you come from to know where you are going,” said Aylmer district councillor Steven Boivin. “In other words, this beautiful and unique sector, Old Aylmer, we're going to be able to define together. It's a unique opportunity to define how we're going to tell the next politician that this is how we want our sector.”

A PPU is a component of an urban plan that is defined by the Act respecting land use planning and development. Along with establishing a vision, it sets a direction for development based on the sector’s challenges, as well as the concerns, needs, and expectations of its residents. The firm L’Atelier Urbain was retained to lead the process and draft the PPU which focuses on the 2041 horizon.

Citizens were invited to participate in a vision workshop to contribute to the creation of a common vision for Old Aylmer. Participants expressed ideas on various themes such as development, public space, mobility, and the environment.

These themes were highlighted in the territorial diagnosis carried out from 2022 to 2023 where more than 160 citizens participated in activities to characterize the sector. The diagnosis allowed a precise portrait of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges of the sector to be made and serve as the basis of the PPU.

Residents can still have their say by participating in one of three more consultations over the next year. Come winter 2025, the public will be invited to imagine and design urban development scenarios for the sector by exploring various architectural and environmental aspects. A validation workshop will finalize and confirm an optimal urban development scenario in spring 2025. The consultation process will wrap up with an open house session in June 2025 where the complete PPU will be presented to the community before being adopted by municipal council in the fall of 2025.

For more information on the PPU and the consultation process, visit www.gatineau.ca/consultations.