Updated: September 2022
Bedford West
What is Happening and Why?
With new development and new residents within Bedford West, some parks have yet to be fully developed with facilities to serve the needs of this community. As part of the 2020/21 Parks and Recreation Business Plan, staff are developing a guiding plan for recreation facilities such as playgrounds, sports courts, sports fields and trails. Parks benefit from having a plan, so as resources become available, features can be implemented.
Park Planning Scope
The Bedford West community area is presented in purple below. Generally, the community is west of Highway 102, south of Hammonds Plains Road, east of the community of Kingswood, and north of the proposed Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area (BMBCL). The BMBCL Wilderness Area and trailheads are outside the scope of this project.
What Do We Know About These Lands?
Bedford West is a quickly growing community. In established portions of the community, parkland occupies approximately 56 Ha (138 acres) in both developed and undeveloped states. Future additions of parkland and park facilities are anticipated with the development of the new Bedford Ravines School and as residential development continues to expand.
An inventory of existing parks within the community are illustrated on the map below.
Round One of Public Engagement:
An online survey was hosted from February 1 to March 8, 2021. The purpose of the first round of public engagement was to hear from residents about their personal experiences in parkland within the community, the issues and opportunities observed, and how park projects should be prioritized. With almost 400 survey submissions, there were many ideas for how parks should be planned and managed into the future. Not all ideas are feasible, but staff have attempted to balance these requests. A ‘What We Heard’ summary has been prepared for public review.
Round Two of Public Engagement:
Due to gathering limitations related to COVID-19, round two of public engagement was hosted online from July 29 – September 13, 2021. The purpose of this follow-up engagement was to gather feedback on the ‘What We Heard’ summary and high-level possible park opportunities.
While it is important to note that the highlighted park opportunities alone do not define a capital funding plan, they are a consolidation of public feedback while incorporating what is known about the physical landscape, land ownership, existing park facilities, community demographics, and guiding municipal plans and policy.
What's next?
The next major milestone for the Bedford West Park Facilities Plan is to deliver a report to Regional Council late in 2022 that outlines long-term park opportunities that can be implemented over time. Subject to Regional Council approval, the detailed design and implementation of park facilities will be determined as they can be incorporated into annual business plans and budgets. Some park facility may advance more quickly than others as new neighbourhoods develop. However, all park enhancements will be guided by the direction outlined during this park planning process.
Requests for additional project information, questions, and comments can be directed to Stephen Cushing, Landscape Architect, Parks and Recreation.