Plan It Colchester Municipal Planning Strategy Engagement
The Municipality of the County of Colchester is launching Plan It Colchester - a project to develop a County-Wide Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB). Much of the County is unplanned, resulting in an organic form of growth and development over the years. Colchester, like the rest of Nova Scotia, has seen a recent population increase, and with a growing population comes pressure for new development. Without planning in place, communities have no say in where and how their communities grow and change.
Recognizing the changing dynamics of development in Nova Scotia, the Provincial Government passed Bill 58 in 2018, an amendment to the Municipal Government Act that requires every municipality to develop and adopt planning that meets the minimum planning standards. This project will bring Colchester County into compliance with the new provincial regulations, while also presenting an important and exciting opportunity for residents to help shape the vision for the future of their communities. Plan It Colchester will rely heavily on feedback from the community to help shape the vision, guiding principles and policies that will determine how the Municipality grows and develops.
Project Update
Public consultation for the formative engagement phase of this project is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated and shared their vision for the future of Colchester! This will not be the only time to participate, so stay tuned for details on the next round of engagement!
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Public Engagament Recap
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Next Steps
1. Engagement Summary and Recommendations Report
This document will include a thematic analysis of information that was received throughout the formative engagement phase and will also contain a draft Vision Statement and Goals for the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use By-law (LUB). The Vision Statement will be established from a set of Guiding Principles, and from the Vision Statement a series of achievable Goals will be established. This will provide a comprehensive overview of community land use issues and perspectives related to current and emerging areas of interest. The report will also identify any information or knowledge gaps that need to be filled in before the drafting of the planning documents.
This report will be publicly available and shared to the Colchester website later this summer. Hard copies of the document can be provided upon request.
2. Drafting of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law (Fall/Winter 2023-24)
3. Draft Consultation (Winter/Spring 2024)
4. Final Edits and Plan Adoption (by the end of 2024)
Stay Involved
For project updates, please keep an eye on the Colchester website and social media pages. Regular project updates will also be featured in the Municipal Newsletter.