Halifax has purchased a 197-acre parcel of land to help form part of a Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Regional Park.
The municipality announced the move on Friday in a news release, and says it is the first parcel of land to be acquired to create the new regional park.
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According to the municipality, the Hobson Lake lands were acquired from West Bedford Holdings and is located at the rear of properties along Collins Road and beside provincial Crown lands already designated as part of the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area.
Halifax has been trying to access the provincially-designated wilderness area “for some time” and will continue “its efforts to acquire additional lands towards the creation of the park.”
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The municipality has not said how much it paid to acquire the land. It does, however, say that the land will enable public access into the regional park and help protect the wilderness area by acting as a buffer between it and developed areas.
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“The acquisition includes provision for a future regional park trailhead entrance that is anticipated to be developed with parking and services for park users,” the release reads.
“The entrance will be achieved as part of the parkland dedication process as the company develops the next stages of its Bedford West community, which is anticipated in the next four to six years.”
The municipality says it plans to consult with the province and the public on how the Hobson Lake lands will be used to create the new regional park.
Public consultation is expected to begin in the spring.
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