Regional District of Nanaimo plans to build a pair of bridges across Nanaimo River have halted due to a decision by the Agricultural Land Commission. (News Bulletin file)

A regional district plan to build two multi-use bridges along the Morden Colliery Trail corridor in Cedar has hit a road block.

The Regional District of Nanaimo board directed staff in 2014 to proceed with design for the steel truss bridges across the Nanaimo River, but in a July 17 letter, the Agricultural Land Commission informed the district it was refusing the proposal. The commission expressed concern about part of the proposed trail “bisecting active agricultural land” based on an April 2016 site visit and asked the regional district to look at other options for the trail.

Different configurations were presented to the commission and according to a land consultant report, attempts to move the trail were unsuccessful and a request to proceed with the original trail was sent this past June, prompting the commission’s response.

Gordon Bednard, commission regional planner, said the ALC was looking at the trail, and the bridges were part of that.

“Based on the commission’s mandate to preserve and protect agricultural land, the commission did not feel this did either of those things – protect, preserve – in fact it goes across some land that is rated as prime agricultural capability and severs parcels that are actively farmed,” Bednard said.

The district board will request the commission reconsider the decision and meet with Bill Veenhof, RDN board chairman, Alec McPherson, Cedar area director, and Frank Leonard, commission chairman, to discuss the matter.

McPherson said the bridge would be beneficial and the amount of interference with agriculture is minimal.

“One of the things that regional trails are supposed to do is to join communities – this one does,” said McPherson said. “For example, we have children that are coming from Cassidy and South Wellington both to come to schools over here and with that bridge in place, those children, particularly out of South Wellington, it would be a 10-minute bike ride away from their school.”

Sheri Ducharme, a resident of the area, is happy with the decision, however.

“It was the right decision to preserve and protect one of eastern Vancouver Island’s Level 2 protected agricultural land in B.C.,” Ducharme said in an e-mail.

According to Wendy Marshall, regional district manager of parks services, the RDN is expected to correspond with the commission within the next month.

reporter@nanaimobulletin.com