Development in West River proceeding without permit, including work in buffer zone
There was no growth allow issued for a brand new subdivision in Fairview, P.E.I.’s minister of land confirmed Friday, regardless that images tabled within the legislature present building appears to be nicely underway.
The land underneath growth is a part of the brand new Rural Municipality of West River. However as a result of that municipality’s land use plan remains to be awaiting provincial approval, jurisdiction over allowing and growth stays with the P.E.I. authorities.
In a letter addressed to 3 totally different cupboard ministers, the municipality’s Mayor Helen Smith-MacPhail wrote “the Rural Municipality has important issues” that, whereas provincial planning workers are conscious of building on the property, “no approvals, preliminary or in any other case, have been offered for this ‘proposed growth.'”
Calling it a ‘proposed growth,’ she went on, “appears an inappropriate time period provided that growth is already nicely underway.”
Opposition chief Peter Bevan-Baker tabled the mayor’s letter within the legislature Friday and took up the municipality’s case throughout query interval.
“This growth entails main adjustments in land use, together with constructing a highway by farmland,” he mentioned, talking to the Minister of Agriculture and Land Darlene Compton.
“Has your division issued a growth allow for this undertaking, and critically, have you ever carried out the general public consultations required for such a change in land use?”
“We’ve not issued any permits but and there’s nonetheless quite a lot of info we want earlier than we do this,” the minister responded.
‘A blanket allow’
When Bevan-Baker requested the Minister of Atmosphere Steven Myers about work that befell within the buffer zone alongside the West River, the minister replied no allow was essential as a result of the work was undertaken by a licensed contractor with “the flexibility to do it by a blanket allow as a result of they’ve the coaching that we provide, they usually solely should notify us.”
A authorities spokesperson instructed CBC through e-mail that contractors who’re licensed can conduct shoreline stabilization, landscaping in a buffer zone and function equipment on a seashore with out requiring the same old allow. They have to notify the province after they accomplish that.
Equally, landowners who use a licensed contractor don’t require a allow for work carried out in a buffer zone.
“Right here we have now a state of affairs the place substantial work was executed, both with out the province realizing about it, or with the province … giving this kind of blanket, ‘yeah keep on and we’ll test it out afterwards,'” mentioned Bevan-Baker, talking to reporters after query interval.
“All the pieces is backwards, so far as I am involved.”
Bevan-Baker mentioned West River engaged in a prolonged, in-depth session course of to develop its land use plan, and what’s occurring in Fairview contradicts that plan.
Mayor involved this will likely turn out to be the norm
In her letter to the province, Smith-MacPhail mentioned by permitting the event to go forward the province is setting “a really harmful precedent” which may undermine the flexibility of all Island municipalities to control land use inside their boundaries.
“How will we and different related municipalities be capable to implement our official plan and land use bylaws if the province doesn’t discourage untimely growth actions and growth choices are rendered after the very fact?” she wrote.
“What’s to stop this from turning into the norm for land use throughout the Island?”
Smith-MacPhail requested the province “to cease any additional exercise at this location pending additional investigation and correct processes being adopted.”
