The Southeast Regional Service Commission (SERSC) is consulting with regional stakeholders and land owners on the development of a new land use plan for the unincorporated areas of rural Albert County and the LSDs of Moncton and Salisbury. A Rural Plan is a provincial regulation that guides land use development and helps prevent land use conflicts between land owners. Find out how to get involved in the process! For more information, email information@nbse.ca
In the map below, there are a number of grey areas – these are the 15 municipalities in the SE region. Each municipality has its own land use plan. The green area is the Tantramar Rural Plan, adopted in 2012, and the blue area is the Beaubassin-West Rural Plan (2017). An existing Rural Plan Regulation is in place for the “Greater Moncton Rural Area” (identified in orange below). This plan is out-of-date and needs to be amended. The remaining portions of Westmorland and Albert Counties (identified in yellow below) have no land use planning regulations at this time. We are proposing to create a new land use plan known as the Westmorland-Albert Rural Plan that will encompass all the yellow and orange areas below (all the hatched-marked area).
What is a Rural Plan?
A Rural Plan is a provincial regulation that guides land use in the unincorporated areas. A rural plan has 3 parts:
- Policies about residential, commercial, industrial and environmental areas – these statements are “what” the region wants land use to look like based on overall goals for growth, development, and conservation.
- Regulations related to the policies – these statements are “how” the goals will be met, including land use rules about permitted uses, setbacks, lot sizes, etc.
- Zoning map reflecting the policies and regulations on the land base.
Why develop a Rural Plan?
- It guides land use development - especially in fast-growing areas like Irishtown and Coverdale - in an efficient and affordable manner.
- It helps protect land owners from potential land use conflicts by establishing zones for permitted uses.
- It creates a public process if someone wants to do something not permitted.
- For most of the region, through policy it will put rural activities first and recognize that rural activities are the backbone to the New Brunswick economy.
How to get involved
Stakeholder meetings – meetings were held from December 2017 to February 2018 with representatives from various stakeholder groups including agricultural producers, woodlot owners, conservation groups, recreation/tourism industry, and the local service districts.
Public Meetings and Open Houses – a series of public sessions are being held throughout the plan. Notices will be made available to stakeholder representatives, as well as being posted on our website and advertised at the local venues.
Survey Feedback – A survey was posted on this site to gather feedback from a variety of stakeholders and the public. Your responses helped provide direction for the policies for the Westmorland-Albert Rural Plan.
