A tract on Highway 9 east of Primrose was given the necessary zoning for a new OPP station almost three years ago, Mono Planner Mark Early has confirmed.

But Mr. Early says that landowner Barry McLean Construction would still have a few a few shackles to remove before a police station could actually be built on the site.

As well, the construction proponent would have to be successful in its response to the OPP's request for proposals for a station.

RFPs aside, Mr. McLean has not evidently been languishing in the comfort of knowing he has appropriate zoning.

Since the rezoning, he has created a new municipal roadway off Highway 9, such that there would be no requirement to obtain a new commercial access point on the provincial highway. The OPP's access would be via the municipal roadway, and not via the highway, Mr. Early said.

Other than access, the site still has a "holding" provision. Essentially, this simply means that, although it has the required rezoning, it must still pass through the usual planning process.

Primrose is generally at the geographic centre of Dufferin County, although not at the demographic heart. However, the OPP service only the rural areas of the county - and not the towns of Orangeville and Shelburne except as backup to the town forces - which makes Primrose the logical location for the OPP.

A secondary choice of location might have been the county-owned property south of Highway 9 at Primrose, but it appears there is unlikely to be any addition to the public works sheds already located there.

Nor is there any certainty that the new OPP station would be built on Mr. McLean's property.

Although, as he put it several years ago, "the zoning would give an edge," the outcome depends on responses to the RFP.