By Jaime Polmateer
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District is holding a public session to discuss the North Thompson Official Community Plan at the Little Fort Community Hall on Aug. 29.The session gives locals a chance to learn about the future of the community and give input on the direction the area is headed.
“We’ll talk about the draft plan and get people’s input, lay out what it is that we’re doing and what an official community plan is,” said Alex Krause, manager of planning services with TNRD.
“In some areas like Little Fort there wasn’t a plan before and so we want people to find out what an official community plan is first, then provide any input they may have.”
Krause described the community plan as a statement of policies that guide decisions on planning and land use management, or in short, a blueprint or map of an area’s future.
The first stage of the Official Community Plan happened last fall when the TNRD sent out surveys to roughly 2,000 property owners between Barriere and Blue River, and after the community meetings, which are also happening in other various rural communities, the document gets read by a board then goes to a public hearing.
“So there’s another formal opportunity for the public to provide input; this is really an early stage in that public consultation process and is an important part of the community plan,” Krause said.
“It’s an opportunity for locals to talk about some of the issues that are affecting them, land use related and otherwise, and also an opportunity to have a say on the official plan that is going to cover their community in Little Fort.”
