Bamberton, the plan for a new town of 12,000 people in an old abandoned cement works in British Columbia, Canada, which won a Social Invention award in '92, is stirring up some opposition locally, perhaps partly on a 'Not In My Back Yard' basis. A fairly comprehensive survey of the local area has shown that only ten per cent of the local population are opposed both to Bamberton and to all growth. These 10% have said 'build high rise in Victoria' as their response to the fact that 12,000 people are moving to Vancouver Island every year from other parts of Canada. The same survey showed that 75% of local people were supportive or strongly supportive of the plans for Bamberton.
Bamberton is being designed as a town modelled on the principles of ecological sustainability, community wholeness and a positive vision of the future. The following are the contentious issues that are sometimes brought up:
The sewage treament works being proposed is an advanced biological wastewater system (tertiary) which uses no chemicals. It produces quality compost which can be re-used on the land, and water effluent of a quality which has been approved by Environment Canada as suitable to raise fish in. It is modelled on existing systems which are in use at Pentieton and Kelowna. Bamberton has further proposed to eliminate any marine outfall altogether, replacing it with a combination of aquatic lagoon polishing and ground disposal.
This concern stems from the fear that Bamberton will be a commuter town for Victoria, twenty miles away. This is the antithesis of what is being planned. Work is proceeding to build a healthy local economy at Bamberton, and to date, 175 people have expressed an interest in starting or relocating a business at Bamberton. Bamberton's design has been intentionally created to capture more trips internally - for school, work, shopping, leisure, etc. The same population, if accommodated in the normal pattern of suburban sprawl, would generate 60% more trips outside Bamberton. A sustainable transportation and trip reduction strategy is also being developed, emphasising car-pooling, transit and a park-and-ride facility.
The Bamberton land is privately owned, as is much of the land on Vancouver Island. Before South Island bought the land, a meeting was held with the South Island Tribal Council, at which they stated that they 'do not make claims on privately owned land'. After the purchase, the Mahalat Native Band stated that they were claiming the land. In December '92, the BC Attorney General ruled that the land is privately owned, and that they do not entertain any claim on the land. The Malahat Band has not indicated the presence of any burial or ceremonial sites. Bamberton has frequently requested to meet with the band, to discuss their concerns and to develop a neighbourly relationship.
Urban run-off normally contains several pollutants. We are planning to eliminate and contain these by a ban on the use of asphalt on roads, driveways and roofs; restrictions on the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertislisers; the use of natural 'swales' instead of storm drains and soak-away pits at each house, maximising water run-off back into the ground; restrictions on the dumping of any chemicals, oils or other pollutants onto the ground; an urban design which minimises the use of cars in the site; motorist education programmes to minimise direct oil spillage from cars, etc.
The Bamberton lands include two water sources, Oliphant Lake and Kingzett Lake. The former has been used as the source of water supply for the old cement works since 1921. Hydrological studies have shown that there is more than enough water in these two lakes to meet all Bamberton's future needs without any water efficiency measures. Based on water efficiency measures to be employed at Bamberton, the typical resident will use approximately 50% less water than others in the region.
The central portion of Bamberton's plans are very much in keeping with the spirit of recommendations included in the Official Settlement Plan. In adjacent areas, the plans call for mixed residential use on land that is currently zoned for forestry: for this reason, a process of puiblic debate and revuiew is underway, and a public hearing on the rezoning application will be held.
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