What is a Land Use Bylaw and Municipal Planning Strategy?
Land use planning is a set of policies and regulations that guide how and where development of all types should occur. Land Use Regulations for Cumberland are organized into three documents;
- Land Use Bylaw
- pdf Subdivision Bylaw(4.85 MB)
- pdf Municipal Planning Strategy(22.54 MB)
- Application Forms
Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) represents an overarching vision for Cumberland County. The MPS provides the intent behind the policies in the Land Use Bylaw and the Subdivision Bylaw. It also establishes any additional resources needed to achieve the future that the MPS envisions.
Land Use Bylaw (LUB) is a large document that lays out the specific requirements for development in Cumberland. The LUB contains everything from setback distances to permitted uses and carries out the goals and visions of the Municipal Planning Strategy.
Subdivision Bylaw provides all the requirements surrounding the process of subdividing or consolidating land.
Tips for reading planning documents
1. Know what you are looking for
Planning documents are typically very large documents, with a lot of information, some of which will not be applicable to your land. Before you start looking at planning documents, you should have the following information on hand
- Area and dimensions of your land
- The zone your property is located in
- Your intention for the land
2. Skip Straight to the Relevant Sections
While reading Planning Documents cover to cover can give you a lot of knowledge, the LUB and MPS have so much information, much of which may not apply to your specific lands. The Table of Contents can help you quickly find the sections that are relevant to your land.
3. Definition Section is in the back
Planning policy is extremely jargon-heavy, and it's hard to understand a policy when it uses words you are unfamiliar with. A handy tip for when you come across an ambiguous or new term, check the back of the document (before the Appendix) for a Definitions Section. If you don't find a definitions section, some planning documents might have a Glossary at the beginning of the document instead.