Overview

Priorities Emerging From Citizen Surveys

The most recent citizen survey conducted by the Municipality of the District of Guysborough asked residents what their priorities were for the district. The survey revealed that job creation and economic development are key priorities for the Municipality. To address these priorities and take advantage of the emerging project opportunities, the Municipality of the District of Guysborough updated its Land-use Strategy. The projects highlighted on this website required marine water access and it was necessary to acquire additional lands within the Municipality to accommodate these opportunities.

Land Use Planning

The Municipality of the District of Guysborough, in preparation for economic development, designated three areas for industrial activity in their Land-use Planning Strategy. Land-use plans were developed for all seven districts based upon extensive community consultation. These plans provide effective signals to current and prospective landowners regarding future intended land-use.

Protected Areas In Relation to Industrial Zones

The total land mass of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough is 211,142 ha. In total, 6880 ha or 1.72% of Guysborough County’s land is zoned industrial representing 3.25% of the total MODG land area. In contrast, there are 23, 953 ha of land protected within the Municipality representing 11.3% of its land mass, a figure well above the provincial average.

Guysborough County’s coastline totals 513 kilometres of which the total area zoned for industrial projects is less than 10 km or 2% of the coastline. The actual project areas currently proposed for development is less than 25% of the zoned area and all of these fall within the Municipality of the District of Guysborough. The total protected coastline within the County falls within this same district and it totals 44.4 km, representing 8.6% of the coastline.