Lands that housed the Halifax County Rehab Centre on Bissett Road in Cole Harbour, and once served as a set for the television show Trailer Park Boys, are being reborn as a trail system connecting two parks.

The centre had been a municipal and provincial facility from 1941 to 2002. It was a psychiatric hospital and home for people with mental illness. The building was empty by 2002 and set for demolition, but in 2010 was destroyed by fire.

The site was once used as a backdrop for the show Trailer Park Boys.

Approximately 4.6 hectares of the site are open field and the remaining 3.6 hectares is wooded.

The property has been cleaned up and is being used as parkland, but now, Halifax council has approved developing it as a trail system to connect the Cole Harbour–Lawrencetown Coastal Heritage Park with Bissett Lake Park.

The building was empty by 2002 and set for demolition, but in 2010 was destroyed by fire. ((Derek Kennedy/CBC))

In a report to council, staff recommend working with local trails groups to develop the pathway.

Staff point out the farming history of the site and local historians have expressed interest in some sort of interpretative centre.

They also said with public consultation, the area would be a good spot for a dog off-leash area.