Windsor-West Hants
Joint Planning Advisory Committee

HISTORY

In 1970, West Hants and the Town of Windsor formed the Windsor-West Hants Joint Planning Advisory Committee. Full-time planning staff were hired in 1973 to prepare planning documents for both the Town and Municipality. West Hants has had four distinct Municipal Planning Strategies and Land Use By-law covering Falmouth, Upper Falmouth, Area One and Areas Two and Three.

The Windsor-West Hants Planning Department came into being in 1973 when the JPAC hired its first full-time planning staff. The Planning Department provides planning, development control and building inspection services to both the Municipality of West Hants and the Town of Windsor.

Although the Town of Windsor has had zoning since 1957, its first Municipal Development Plan and accompanying Zoning By-law were not adopted until 1976.  The current Windsor Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use By-law (LUB) were approved by Council on August 23, 2005 and took effect September 21, 2005, following a four-year Plan Review process.  Windsor’s Subdivision By-law was approved in June, 1993 and is currently under review.

Land use planning in West Hants began with the adoption of a Municipal Development Plan and Zoning By-law for Falmouth in 1976, followed by Area One in 1982.  In 1989, planning documents were approved for the primarily agricultural area of Upper Falmouth.  A comprehensive plan review was begun in 2001 and completed in 2008.  The current West Hants Municipal Planning Strategy, Land Use By-law, and Subdivision By-law were approved by Council on May 13, 2008 and took effect June 26, 2008.