End of the line for new quarry plans off Red Bridge Road
By Craig Westcott
Residents of Red Bridge Road in Kelligrews won’t see another sand and gravel quarry at the end of their street, CBS council has decided.
Quarries have long operated at the end of Red Bridge Road, but this one would have necessitated extending the gravel access a further 300 metres. The proposed site was located less than a kilometre from Sgt. Ned Nugent’s Park, which itself is directly across the road from a long existing quarry.
Ward 3 Councillor Gerard Tilley, who chairs council’s development committee, made the motion to reject the application, arguing it was not in the public interest and too close to an existing subdivision.
“I received several calls regarding this particular application, and as everybody knows this is a very, very heavily populated residential area, and it’s also one of the main areas for our recreation facilities and to put more heavy equipment on this street I think would be detrimental to this area,” he said.
Councillor-at-Large Joshua Barrett said he wanted to echo Tilley’s comments. “I also received some inquiries on this and I believe the motion articulating ‘contrary to public interest’ is accurate,” he said. “I don’t believe this is a good fit for the area.”
Deputy Mayor Andrea Gosse, whose business operates a quarry on the road, declared a conflict of interest and excused herself from any participation in the discussion or vote.
In other development news:
Council has approved an application to convert a former cabinet shop at 35-39 Gully Pond Road in Kelligrews into a child care centre, but rejected an accompanying application to add a residential apartment in the same building.
“A residential apartment unit within a commercial building is not permitted as a discretionary use with in an R2 (Residential 2) land use zone,” said Tilley, who presented the recommendation on behalf of his committee, but added he would not be following it himself.
“I had lots of opportunity to speak to residents in the area,” said Tilley. “While I firmly believe that childcare centres are a necessity in our town and we could certainly use more, this particular one has space and capacity for up to 117 children and of course this would have a detrimental effect on traffic in this particular area, so I will be voting against the motion.”
Put to a vote, Tilley was the only councillor to vote against the childcare centre.
Council has turned down an application for a variance at 25 Cliffside Avenue in Manuels. The applicant wanted to reduce the minimum building line setback and rear yard depth, as well as increase the maximum allowable lot coverage for a proposed “double dwelling.”
Tilley explained the lack of the variance won’t impede the proponent from going ahead with the building.
The operator of Ocean Quest Medi Spa at 11-13 Stanleys Road in Long Pond isn’t getting council’s blessing to serve alcohol to its clients “as catering use is not permitted” within that particular residential zone, said councillor Tilley.
A bid to rezone land at 384 – 390 Fowlers Road from Rural and Open Space Conservation to Commercial Light Industrial has been rejected.
The land is located across the street from Stow-Away Storage, near the corner of the private lane at Henry’s Place and Fowlers Road and close to the industrial park at the top of the street.
Tilley said the proposal doesn’t comply with the regulations in the Municipal Plan.
“We received word from the property owners that they were potentially going to sell the land,” Tilley said. “But the potential for the expansion of the industrial park towards the river is inconsistent with our Municipal Plan’s goals and objectives, so we’re going to refuse that.”
Council has rejected an application to operate a camper trailer storage yard at 151 – 161 Red Bridge Road and 161 – 173 Walshs Road. Tilley said the proposal is contrary to the development regulations as outdoor storage facilities are not permitted in the Mineral Working and Rural zones. The Mineral Working zone in this case is a quarry.
Another application for an above ground pool and deck that was turned down in previous years has been approved under the Town’s new pool regulations. The motion to approve the pool at 11 Dannic Place off the Foxtrap Access Road was approved unanimously.
Council rejected an application for a shed at 2305 Topsail Road in Topsail as the proposed 18.58m2 building would be too close to existing structures. Several hundred metres further along Route 60, at 2362 – 2371 Topsail Road, another application for a shed was rejected because the proposed structure would be located in the front yard of the property, said Tilley, and would be visible from the street.
And finally, council has appointed a commissioner to conduct a public hearing and report on an application to redevelop the former Mandy’s Mini Mart in Upper Gullies to an oil change shop for motor vehicles. George Trainor will hold the hearing at 7 p.m. on February 25 at the Town Hall. If council receives no written submissions up to two days before that date, the hearing will be cancelled and the Municipal Plan amendment approved.