Park proposal good idea but in wrong location

Chris Skidmore, the promoter of a proposed RV park at Big Pond, should be commended for his entrepreneurial spirit in gauging a demand for RV campsites in Cape Breton and planning to meet that need.

By some accounts this type of facility is a missing piece in accommodating visitors to our island and in servicing local demand for a place to enjoy a summer break.

It is understandable that anyone familiar with the area would react negatively to the prospect of another Ben Eoin Beach - this one three times larger. This is not what is being proposed. New facilities, like this one, have more space and are laid out to provide more privacy and multiple amenities. So far so good.

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) is considering an application from Skidmore to rezone the four properties that he proposes to use for the project in order for the development to proceed. The municipality is supportive of development and the project, if completed, would provide some increase in the commercial assessment base.

CBRM planners have outlined the criteria in the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) on which regional council must base their decision to approve or deny the application.

This seems to present a very low bar for applicants and it ignores, believe it or not, any requirement for an environmental study. This is on watershed land that is included as part of what was designated on June 29, 2011 as the UNESCO Bras D’Or Lake Biosphere Reserve, one of 16 such reserves in Canada. Runoff from the site will flow to the lake.

Before the municipality starts toting up their tax gains they should consider whether there would be any additional costs to provide services to this development:

1. Fire Protection - with propane fueling every camper and barbeque and only one way in and out. The Big Pond Fire Department, while no doubt as qualified as any, is a volunteer force.

2. Policing - 600 sites could easily accommodate 1,500 campers, many partying; add cannabis legalization to fill out the picture. Who will provide security?

The actual waterfront on the pond does not in reality resemble the ‘Blue Lagoon’-like photo in the promotion. The pond is closed in to the lake, the water is very shallow and the bottom is muddy. It is more like a slough that Skidmore would be familiar with in Alberta.

The Saint Mary’s Parish cemetery would share two boundaries with the project. When this graveyard was opened parking was not a serious issue. Now when there is a funeral cars line both sides of the highway. There are no provisions in the Skidmore plan to shield mourners at graveside from any incompatible visual intrusions or noise emanating from the site as the MPS would seem to require.

The biggest problem with this proposal is safety, which I think we can fairly attach to the third criterion being considered under the MPS (traffic).

The plan is for 600-plus sites of various kinds and for a zipline and other recreational facilities on both sides of Route 4. A number of these campsites and other amenities, including the zipline, would be on the south side of the highway. This section is an 80 km/hr zone. Since campgrounds are populated by families with children expect a steady stream of kids in bathing suits and in varying states of attention crossing that highway in both directions at any time of the day or night.

How can this be safely managed? Will CBRM accept liability?

This is possibly a good development for the right location but not for this one.

Ed MacLean Islandview