Wind Turbine Regulations in the Municipal Planning Strategy & Land Use Bylaw
Provincial Approval
On August 29, Municipal Affairs & Housing Notified the Municipality that the Amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw have been approved as submitted. Notice of this approval was advertised on September 9, 2022 and the amendemnts are now in effect.
To review the amended documents please visit www.plancumberland.ca/documents
Municipal Approval
During the June 22 regular council session, Council approved second reading of the proposed amendments with a small housekeeping change to the text and a minor change to the restricred overlay in Wentworth.
Council approved adding an area in Wentworth to the restricted overlay extending 3.2 km east and west of the centre-line of highway 4 and extending from the Colchester border northwards to Highway 246 (New Annan Rd) on the east and Hwy 448 (Valley Rd) on the west. (See map below)
Next Steps
Following second reading, these amendments will be submitted to the Province where the Director of Planning has 30 days to determine if they require Ministerial Approval. The Minister then has up to 60 days to approve, reject or amend the documents and notify the Municipality.
Following this, the Municipality will place notice in a newspaper regarding the decision of the Director and/or Minister. If approved, the changes are in effect as of the date of that notice.
Final Amended Documents: (Subject to Provincial Approval)
June 22, 2022: Second Reading
Council will consider final approval of the various amendments.
June 15, 2022: Public Hearing
A Public Hearing regarding revised policies and regulations related to wind turbines will be held at 4:00pm, June 15, 2022 at the Upper Nappan Council Chambers.
Hearing documents are linked below. Public Hearings are open to the public. You may participate by submitting comments by email to: Planning@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca or by mail to: Planning Dept, Upper Nappan Service Centre, 1395 Blair Lake Rd, Upper Nappan, NS B4H 3Y4. Submissions to the Hearing must be received by June 7.
May 30: First Reading:
The amendments linked below received first reading by Council on May 30, 2022 at a special Council meeting.
May 13: Revised Recommendations and Engagement Report
The following materials have been prepared by staff and will be discussed at the May 18, Public Committee of The Whole Meeting @ 4:00 pm. at the Springhill Council Chambers located at 43 Main St, Springhill, Nova Scotia
Public Open House: May 9
As part of the ongoing review of wind turbine regulations, the Municipality of Cumberland is holding an information open house on May 9, 2022 from 3:30pm to 7:00pm at the Upper Nappan Service Centre.
This will be an opportunity to meet with Municipal Planning Staff to review and discuss draft recommendations for controlling small and large wind turbines.
UPDATED April 14, 2022 with draft recommendations and new review documents
The Municipality of Cumberland is conducting a review of municipal regulations controlling small and large wind turbines. It’s anticipated that this process will take six months, concluding in June, 2022. This review is meant to provide opportunities for residents and other stakeholders to share their views and review draft documents and reports as they are completed.
As shown in the attached work plan, the intent is to reach out to residents, land owners and other stake holders to better understand concerns and viewpoints.
Planning staff have conducted a review of Cumberland’s current wind turbine regulations, prepared information sheets on Best Practices and regulatory Policy Gaps. Each of these will in turn be presented to Municipal Council and shared here with the public.
Staff have also completed a Public Engagement Report (plus Appendix E, other responses) outlining what we heard from all those who provided responses in the first round of public feedback. Thanks so much for the high level of participation.
The analysis described above and public feedback have provided the background for developing Draft Recommendations to current municipal regulations. These draft recommendations are now complete and shared with the public and Municipal Council for a second review period before being revised and starting the final adoption process in June.
Please take time to read through the various reports and recommendations and take the time to share your thoughts on the draft recommendations.
You may participate by submitting your comments by email to: Planning@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca with “Wind” in the subject line; or by mail to:
Planning Dept, Upper Nappan Service Centre, 1395 Blair Lake Road, Upper Nappan, NS B4H 3Y4. Written submissions must be received by May 5, 2022.
Additional documents related to this review can be found here: