What is Strategic Land Use Planning?
Strategic land use planning is a process for determining
how our land will be used, both now and in the future. British
Columbia's natural resources are, for the most part, public assets
- 94 per cent of our land is publicly owned. These natural resources
must be well managed to
benefit both present and future generations. Strategic
land use plans help ensure that resource management decisions
take into account the needs of communities, the economy and the
environment. The planning process is open and community-based.
It is structured to encourage participation by the public, stakeholders
and various levels of government. The process goes through a number
of stages: consultation, planning, preparation, decision-making,
implementation, monitoring and amendment.
Through the land use planning process needs are
identified, land use zones are defined, objectives are set, and
strategies for managing resources in those zones are developed.
The process for seeking consensus has been consistent across BC,
but the plans themselves are unique. Each land use plan is tailored
to the needs of local communities.
In conjunction with resource ministries, MSRM develops
policy for, coordinates, and supports the completion, approval,
monitoring, evaluation and amendment of strategic land use plans
(land and resource management plans (LRMPs) and regional plans)
across the province. Ministries are
responsible for implementing approved strategic land use plans.
Land and resource management plans (LRMPs) are sub-regional
integrated resource plans that seek to create a vision for use
and management of public provincial lands and resources. Their
development requires involvement of people representing a wide
range of interests and values. Planning generally follows the
following six basic steps:
- Preliminary Organization
- Plan Initiation and Information Assembly
- Building Agreements
- Government Approval Process
- Plan Implementation
- Plan Monitoring and Amendment
LRMPs generally provide:
- broad land use zones defined on a map;
- objectives that guide management of natural resources in each
zone;
- strategies for achieving the objectives; and,
- a socio-economic and environmental assessment that evaluates
the plan.
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