Nova Scotia has approved work to begin in a handful of special planning areas in the Halifax Regional Municipality — including Sandy Lake in Bedford — where site preparation work was given the green light without development plans in place.
That work includes tree removal, blasting and earthwork.
While a multi-unit neighbourhood is planned for the area, there are no approved designs yet and further public consultation is needed.
“It’s really bad planning, because why clear a site before you have the final design?” said Karen McKendry, the Ecology Action Centre’s senior wilderness outreach coordinator.
“You end up destroying more old-growth forest and wetlands and streams than you have to.”
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The provincial government approved the projects last month, with a goal of increasing housing stock.
In the case of Sandy Lake, the approvals were also meant to ease traffic and congestion on Hammonds Plains Road.
But McKendry says she feels this isn’t good planning.
“Sandy Lake is one example of 16 where this ‘cart before the horse’ approach is being used. So destroy the environment first, figure out things later is terrible environmental planning,” she said.
“Also, not including the public in decision making about the city is wrong.”
She added on top of the environmental impact, sprawling development is also more expensive.
District 10 Councillor Kathryn Morse shares the sentiment, especially given the recent approval of a multi-unit development along Kearney Lake Road.
“With the special-planning areas, I don’t feel we’re just doing good community planning,” said Morse. “That we’re just building housing without all of the infrastructure and the social infrastructure that should be around it.”
Speaking to reporters last week, Housing Minister John White said the Sandy Lake project is about looking ahead to address traffic and housing struggles in the area.
“What we’re doing here is, we are looking at it from a community perspective overall and we’re looking at what is the future build of that area,” he said on Oct. 29.
But Morse notes planning and development should remain in the hands of the municipality.
“When the province overrides all these things, I think we’re getting more expensive development and not necessarily the best long-term development for the city and for residents,” she said.
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