Fundy Rural District

Rural Plan

What is a Rural Plan?

A Rural Plan helps guide how land is used and developed, supporting healthy growth and protecting important natural resources, based on the needs and priorities of the community. Community input is a key part of creating this plan to ensure it reflects what matters most to the residents of the Fundy Rural District.

The Province of New Brunswick has mandated all communities must have a local land use plan in place by 2028. These plans should include policies on key topics like climate change adaptation and mitigation, housing, resource uses, protection of water supplies, and more.

Why is a rural plan important?

A Rural Plan provide residents with the opportunity to create a shared vision on how a community should develop over time. Benefits of having a rural plan include:

  • Guide future development

  • Protect the environment

  • Define community character

  • Reduce conflicts between different types of land use

Without a Rural Plan, communities have less control over how development happens. This can lead to conflicts between neighbouring land uses, inappropriate development, or loss of rural character. For example, without a plan, things like pits and quarries, dog kennels, or industrial uses could be built near homes or other sensitive areas.

What’s happening now?

Work on a Rural Plan for the entire Fundy Rural District is underway. Updates will be posted on this webpage as the process moves forward, and there will be opportunities for residents to get involved and have their say.

Have questions or want to learn more?
Contact our planning staff at planning@fundyregion.ca or 506-738-2014.

Process

A Rural Plan Working Group has been established to help guide the development of the Rural Plan with local representation and knowledge and to ensure the entire community is engaged.

The Rural Plan Working Group is comprised of members of the Rural District Advisory Council (RDAC), Planning Review and Adjustment Committee (PRAC), and local members at large. The composition of the group includes:

  • Gina Sweet and Ray Riddell from RDAC;

  • Rob Jeffrey and Cindy MacCready from PRAC; and

  • Samara Carvell and Lawrence Booker as the local members at large.

 The following steps will guide the development of the Rural Plan

(Please note these are general steps and may be modified once the Working Group has finalized the Consultation Strategy)


Pre-Work

  1. Prepare a Background Study​.

  2. Establish Rural Plan Working Group to provide guidance in the development of the Rural Plan​.

  3. Develop Consultation Strategy with Rural Plan Working Group.

Number one


Engagement & Drafting

  1. Execute Consultation Strategy to seek input prior to drafting the Rural Plan​.

    Engagement may include open-hours, surveys, mail-outs (to be determined).

  2. Incorporate feedback into a Draft Rural Plan.

  3. Share Draft Rural Plan.​

Number two


plan finalization

  1. Seek the opinions of the Planning Review and Adjustment Committee and ​Rural District Advisory Council.

  2. Host a public meeting to present the Draft Rural Plan to answer questions and provide input.

  3. Finalize the draft plan based on community feedback and submit the draft Rural Plan to the Minister of the Environment and Local Government for consideration.​

components of a rural plan:

Vision and Objectives

  1. The goals and vision for a community and how it would like to see itself in the future.

  2. The effect the community wants the Rural Plan to have.                    

Policies and Proposals

  1. Policies state what the community wants to do under different categories and guides land use planning decisions.

  2. Proposals offer insight into potential actions or projects that may make the Policy a reality.

General and Zoning Provisions

  1. General provisions apply to all zones.

  2. Zoning provisions apply to specific zones of a Rural District and can include permitted uses and other provisions.

  • No, community engagement will be undertaken to understand the needs of the broader community.  

  • No, there are already two Rural Plans in effect in the Fundy Rural District:

    • Rothesay Parish Rural Plan Regulation (Upper Loch Lomond, Hunter Lake) - 2011, and

    • Simonds Parish Rural Plan Regulation (Mispec, Cape Spencer) - 2000. 

  • A Rural Plan cannot make existing land uses go away, nor contradict or lessen provisions of existing provincial regulations (e.g. Watercourse and Wetland Alteration Regulation, Provincial Subdivision Regulation). Existing development prior to plan adoption is considered ‘non-conforming’ and existing uses will be able to continue. 

  • Through the Municipal Reform Process in 2023, Rural Districts were created across New Brunswick from former Local Service Districts. The Fundy Rural District is comprised of the former Local Service Districts of Petersville, Greenwich, and Rothesay; and portions of Westfield, Kingston, Norton, Saint Martins, and Simonds. There is one Rural District in each of New Brunswick's 12 regions. More information on the creation of Rural Districts can be found here. The Fundy Rural District is represented by an advisory committee which advises the Minister of Environment and Local Government on local matters.  

  • No, A Rural Plan for a Rural District is a Ministerial Regulation under the Community Planning Act.   

Common Questions about the Rural Plan

(Click on a question to view the answer)