North Dumfries gravel pit expansion settlement reached, with restrictions

A controversial gravel pit in North Dumfries has been given the green light to expand and move closer to Cambridge’s Southwood neighbourhood.

But there are restrictions in place to help mitigate noise and dust concerns.

It comes as the Township of North Dumfries and the City of Cambridge reached an agreement with CBM Aggregates (CBM), the company behind the Dance Pit.

“The settlement comes after an eighteen-month multidisciplinary peer review process spearheaded by the City and Township, and included expert meetings and discussions with CBM, and a presentation to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) for approval at a settlement hearing,” reads a joint release from the municipalities.

The restrictions include a dust management plan, noise mitigation requirements and the expansion to be 60 metres away from the homes in the area, which is double the distance required by provincial regulation.

The expanded site is said to meet all Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) standards when it comes to noise and air quality concerns.

The Dance Pit expansion is right in the backyard of the Cambridge subdivision, bordered by Grand Ridge Drive, St Andrews Street and Cedar Street.

Hundreds living in the neighbourhood have been vocally against the gravel pit expansion, but this new agreement is something the municipalities are touting as a big win.

“Overall, through a cooperative and coordinated eighteen-month effort, the Township and City have both avoided a potentially lengthy and expensive contested hearing, and achieved tangible protections for potentially impacted residents over and above the protections that could be achieved through the hearing process.”

Legal council to the City of Cambridge, Peter Pickfield, spoke with 570 NewsRadio. He said he doesn’t expect the expansion will mean more trucks in the area.

“In theory, they can’t increase the traffic any more than is already occurring on the site, and so I don’t anticipate there would be any noticeable difference in the number of trucks going into and out of the site because the extraction rate doesn’t change.”

Pickfield added at this point, crews can only extract materials from the expanded site. Processing, including any crushing of materials, is prohibited until the required approvals are given by the MECP.