WAVERLEY: The rejection of a rezoning application for the Conrad quarry development is both “significant and positive” for the community and areas downstream of Lake Charles, says one of the people behind a concerned residents group.
Adam Flick said among the concerns for residents were the polluting under permitted uses and their impact on human health and the environment. That included issues over the runoff into Lake Charles and other lakes in the Shubenacadie lake system, including Lake William, Lake Mic Mac, and all other lakes between the Halifax Harbour and the Bay of Fundy.
He said the development, if ti had been given the go ahead, would have impacted the area through ground water, air, and noise pollution to established residential communities on three sides of this location.
“These are uses which are difficult to locate in industrial parks which are proposed to be in close proximity to hundreds of houses and uphill from Lake Charles,” he said.
How does regional council’s denial of the rezoning help residents?
“The decision will allow the community more time to understand the pending development in the area and allow for a more rigorous process with the goal of protecting the environment and quality of life of everyone in the community,” said Flick.
The rejection means that the project now returns to HRM planning where the developer said they would make changes. He added the request for rezoning has been referred back into the secondary planning process for the area as a whole.
“I have learned that the proponents are respected members of the community and are interested in improving the community,” said Flick. “This was apparent in their late offer to remove the most concerning of the uses from the proposed rezoning.
Flick explained what the next steps for the residents are.
“Residents are much more involved now and will follow the Municipal process much more closely,” he said. “The majority of residents are not anti-development and welcome new residents and businesses to the community, but in a way that compliments the area and doesn’t detract from it.
