IG news Update,
Landowners in Lunenburg County are raising concerns about a sea wall being built along the shoreline of Little Crescent Beach near West Dublin, NS
The small beach is popular with the locals. It is located at the end of Crescent Beach, a long stretch where people have been able to pull up their vehicles for decades and enjoy their day next to the ocean.
But some of the landscape has changed.
“It looks like there has been some rebuilding of natural habitat with the removal of grasslands and trees,” said Lucy Hendrickson, who grew up in the area.
“There is a lot of hue and cry over how this is being done. Why is there no security?”
The 130-metre wall was built by Halifax developer Hossein Mousavi, who owns property near the beach.
He is planning to build three cottages for the use of his family.
He added that a large sand hill and some mature trees and grass had been removed to make room for the wall, but that the sand would be reused “to sculpt, replicate and otherwise restore the site to its natural form”. “
But landowners are also questioning whether the private wall was built on public land.
Mousavi said that it is not so. In Nova Scotia, beaches are public land up to the high water mark.
He said the property came with two old protective stone seawalls that had been damaged by storms over the years.
Information Morning – NS8:03New retaining wall at Crescent Beach raises concerns about coastal development
There is growing frustration among some people living on the South Coast around the development of encroachment on beloved beaches and coastal areas. A group of citizens is meeting to talk about options for protecting one of those places, Crescent Beach, near West Dublin.
He said a licensed surveyor proposed placing new seawalls on top of the existing ones at the high-water mark.
Mousavi, who owns the construction company, Cresco, said he had been given permission from the province to operate with some restrictions.
Dozens of trucks were carrying filler material in the area on Friday morning. Hendrickson said that behind the sea wall is a saltwater tidal wetland.
“These are really ecologically sensitive environments that, as Nova Scotians would expect, there would be protections,” Hendrickson said.
In 2019, the province passed the Coastal Protection Act, but the rules are not complete and are not yet in effect.
The province granted Mauswi driveway and septic approval, which was necessary to obtain a building permit from the municipality of Lunenburg District.
But the mayor of the municipality said that the Coastal Security Act needs to be implemented now so that such disputes do not come to the fore.
state personnel investigating
Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson said the municipality has prepared a letter to send to the province and is also recommending to council that the municipality complete the “shoreline protection piece” as soon as possible.
“Coastal shock is needed for development right now and we can’t wait another year.”
A spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables said on Friday that the rock wall was to be built on private land.
Erin Lynch said staff are trying to determine if there is an encroachment and whether any further action will be needed. He said it would take some time.
Members of the community will hold an information meeting at the Fire Hall in Petit Riviere on Saturday afternoon.
“There has been some negative conversation online, which is very unfortunate because there is no place for that,” Hendrickson said.
“The meeting is to bring everyone together so we can discuss change and bring forward the Coastal Protection Act.”
Mousavi declined the invitation to participate, saying he was not comfortable with the comments online.
“We are like many others and fell in love with this special beach and this beautiful area 20 years ago,” he said.