The Eastern District Planning Commission

provides planning, subdivision and building inspection services in eastern Nova Scotia for the Counties of Antigonish, Inverness, Richmond, and Victoria and the Towns of Port Hawkesbury and Antigonish. The planners, development officers, building inspectors and support staff work toward developing a safe and healthy community for you and your family. For more information on the application and permitting processes see below.

Plan Area Notices

Plan Eastern

Plan Eastern Nova is a project to create a Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB) for all areas of the Municipalities of Antigonish, Inverness, Richmond and Victoria Counties that currently do not have planning documents in place. This project will bring these municipalities into compliance with the Provincial mandate that all areas of Nova Scotia have comprehensive land use planning. Check project news at the Plan Eastern Nova website.

Municipality of Richmond County

Notice of Public Hearing

West Richmond and Isle Madame Plan Areas

    1. Municipality of the County of Richmond (Plan Richmond) Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law and the West Richmond (Point Tupper) Planning Area Land Use Bylaw – Wind Turbine Provisions
    2. Isle Madame Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law – Accessory Dwelling Unit Provisions

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT the Council of the Municipality of the County of Richmond intends to consider and, if deemed advisable, approve
amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law for the Municipality of the County of Richmond, (Plan Richmond) and the Land Use By-law for the West Richmond (Point Tupper) Planning Area by:

Adopting the Provincial minimum setback requirements for utility scale wind turbines from dwellings of four (4) times the turbine height unless a greater distance is required to ensure that sound levels do not exceed 40 decibels at the exterior of a dwelling,

FURTHER PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT the Council of the Municipality of the County of Richmond intends to consider and, if deemed advisable, approve amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law for Isle Madame by:

Removing the requirement that a second dwelling unit can only be built on a property large enough to be subdivided. The purpose of this amendment is to allow for a second dwelling unit on smaller lots.

Copies of the staff reports and amending pages can be inspected at the Municipal Office or at the Eastern District Planning Commission, 606 Reeves Street, Unit 3, Port Hawkesbury between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays (excluding holidays), online at www.edpc.ca.

Written or oral presentations (for or against the amendments) can be made before Municipal Council at a Public Hearing to be held:

Date:           Tuesday June 24th, 2025

Time:           6:00 p.m.

Location:   Richmond County Municipal Office 2357 Highway 206, Arichat, NS

Municipality of the County of Victoria &

Eastern District Planning Commission to Host Information Session

In 2018, the Province of Nova Scotia passed legislation through Bill 58 that required every municipality (and all land within the municipalities’ area of responsibility) to be subject to a Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw.

In response, the Municipality of the County of Victoria launched Plan Victoria, a project to develop a new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw. This project is part of Plan Eastern Nova, a joint initiative with the Counties of Antigonish, Richmond, and Inverness to bring consistent land use planning to Eastern Nova Scotia.

In support of this work, the Municipality of the County of Victoria and the Eastern District Planning Commission are inviting the public to attend an upcoming information session regarding the proposed new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw.

Information Session

  • Thursday, May 22, 2025
  • 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  • South Haven Community Centre, 4411 Highway 105, South Haven

This session offers community members an opportunity to meet directly with representatives from the Eastern District Planning Commission, learn more about the proposed new documents, and ask questions.

Following the information session, a public hearing will be held to formally receive input from residents.

Public Hearing

  • Monday, May 26, 2025
  • 10:00 a.m.
  • Municipal Offices, 495 Chebucto St., Baddeck

Members of the public may submit oral or written presentations either in support of or in opposition to the proposed changes. Written submissions may be sent in advance to:

Steff MacLeod
495 Chebucto Street, Baddeck, Nova Scotia B0E 1B0
Steff.MacLeod@victoriacounty.ca

Draft documents are available for public review at the following links:

Printed copies can also be reviewed at:

  • Municipal Administration Building, 495 Chebucto St., Baddeck
  • Eastern District Planning Commission office, 606 Reeves St., Unit 3, Port Hawkesbury

Following the public hearing, Municipal Council will consider adopting the proposed strategy and bylaw at its regular meeting scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 26, 2025.

Current Staff Reports

Chéticamp
Development agreement application by Charlamara Holdings Inc. for a test kitchen at 13716 Cabot Trail, Point Cross, Inverness County, NS (PID 50089655). View Document
Development Agreement application by Charlamara Holdings Inc. for a museum and restaurant at 759 Chéticamp Island Road, Chéticamp Island (PID 50168384). View Document
Development Agreement application from Charlamara Holdings Inc. for up to twelve (12) rental cottages at Chéticamp Island Road, Chéticamp (PIDs 50350693, 50350685, and 50350677).Development Agreement application from Charlamara Holdings Inc. for up to twelve (12) rental cottages at Chéticamp Island Road, Chéticamp (PIDs 50350693, 50350685, and 50350677). View Document
Eastern Antigonish County
Application by Tallgrazz Adventures Ltd to amend the Eastern Antigonish Land Use By-law by rezoning a portion of PID 01252956, located at 385 East Tracadie Road, East Tracadie, Antigonish County, Nova Scotia. View Document
Inverness County Wind Turbine Development
Amending Pages as recommended to Council from the November 21, 2024 Inverness County Planning Advisory Committee. View Document
Memo to Inverness County Committee of the Whole. View Document
West River Antigonish Harbour Plan
Planning Advisory Committee Reference: File No. AT-DA2025-002; Emphasis on accessible and unobstructed sidewalks in the Development
Agreement and the correct Site Plan in the Development Agreement  View Document
File No. AT-DA2025-002; Application to enter into a Development Agreement to construct a Gas Station with a Convenience Store and Restaurant on Lot 9, PID 10140010, Beech Hill Road, Beech Hill, Antigonish County  View Document
Application to rezone 1648 Addington Forks Road, Addington Forks (PID 01210582) from the Local Commercial (C-1) and Rural General (RG-1) zones to Residential (R-1) to match the existing residential use.  View Document
Application to rezone two properties (PIDs: 10137115; 10137131) located within Mount Cameron Estates on Mount Cameron Circle in Antigonish Landing, Antigonish County, with the former from the Residential (R-1) Zone to the Residential Multi-Unit (R-2) Zone, and the latter from R-2 to R-1. Both are a part of the proposed development of fourplexes. View Document
Inclusion of small-scale automobile sales in the General Commercial (C-2) zone of the West River Antigonish Harbour GFLUM and Zoning map amendments. View Document
Application to rezone 1648 Addington Forks Road, Addington Forks (PID 01210582) from the Local Commercial (C-1) and Rural General (RG-1) zones to Residential (R-1) to match the existing residential use. View Document
Application to rezone a portion of property (PID 10132611) located between Highway 337 and Mount Cameron Circle (extensions to Harbour View Drive and Duykers Drive) as well as four properties (PIDs 10137099, 10137107, 10137115 and
10137131) located on Mount Cameron Circle, Antigonish Landing, Antigonish County from the Residential (R-1) Zone to the Residential Multi-unit (R-2) Zone to allow for the development of a quadplex residential development View Document