The Fringe Area Secondary Plan initiated by the RPGA Planning District is being sent back to the consultant for further work.

The RPGA board of directors was not satisfied with a draft version of the plan because it did not project how the area surrounding Altona should be developed well into the future.

"There was some disappointment with the lack of material in the draft and an overall lack of visionary work connected to construction in the secondary plan," said Altona CAO Dan Gagne. "So administration from both municipalities (Altona and Rhineland) will discuss that with the consultants to see if they can make it into a more workable plan that is satisfactory to the board."

The RPGA wants to set a long-term vision for the fringe area in connection with the development of that land for residential, commercial and industrial use. It's all about what the surrounding area might look like five or six decades down the road, according to Gagne.

"It's not necessarily about what size homes should be, but more about neighbourhoods, village living, urban versus rural standards; things like that. There would also be some details as to how a prototypical street might look in a certain area.

Gagne says the plan will help both municipalities to make sure that land use is consistent with the area and that they are making proper use of the land around Altona.