By Mark Squibb/December 23, 2021
Witless Bay town council had a number of home construction applications, and a couple commercial applications, to consider at the last regularly scheduled meeting of council held on December 14.
Council was in receipt of an application for a home on Dunn’s Lane. Councilor Jacob Hayden made a motion to defer the application until council received more information from the town planner.
“We’re sort of curious on a couple of points so rather than move forward, or move backward, we just wanted to double check some things that were unclear,” explained councilor Ralph Carey.
Next up was an application to build a home on O’Brien’s Road. Carey made a motion to deny the application.
“There is a planning report on this, and the background is several, several pages, and the conclusion is that the subject property is not capable of meeting the current requirements of residential roads,” said Carey.
Council unanimously voted to deny the application.
Next was an application to grub three lots on Dean’s Road.
Jacob Hayden moved that council deny the application, based on the recommendation of the town planner, saying that each lot ought to have been applied for individually.
Another application to build a home on Dunn’s Road was approved, following publication of a notice of variance. No complaints were received by the town.
The home will have to be built in compliance with ServiceNL’s requirement’s for onsite water and septic systems and provide a satisfactory onsite drainage and gradient plan, along with installation of a culvert that meets municipal standards.
After a short discussion about a reservation between the property line and the edge of the road, which was not marked on the drawing before council but was included in the application, the motion was approved unanimously.
The town also unanimously approved a request for a resident to develop an outdoor market along the Southern Shore highway.
A discretionary notice had been published, and no concerns were raised.
Another application for a home along the Southern Shore Highway was rejected at the recommendation of the town planner, at least until a revised application can be completed and a revised site visit held.
Council was also in receipt of a request to rescind a previous application to build a home. But, so far as council was concerned, the application never existed in the first place.
“There is no application on file in the name that the correspondent indicated,” said Carey. “Thank you for your inquiry. When we’re given a request, we can look into it. But right now, there is nothing on the names that this person mentioned.”
