Residents of a small rural Kings County community are pushing back against a rezoning plan that could pave the way for an appliance and electronics scrapyard near their homes. Some also suspect an unlicensed salvage operation is already running on the site.
The proposed zoning amendment would allow a 1.2-hectare (three-acre) property in Bloomfield to be rezoned for medium industrial use to accommodate a scrap and salvage yard, according to a Town of Hampton staff report.
Krista Bietz-Bielecki said she and other residents who live about 150 to 230 metres from the property feel they have little control over a proposal they believe could permanently alter their community.
“It’s not like I can pick my house up and move it; I can’t,” Bietz-Bielecki said. “And now, because it’s already in the pipeline, I can’t even sell it. You’d have to disclose it. So there’s no good outcome for us.”
Opposition has been building since May, when Hampton’s local council notified residents within 100 metres of the property about the proposed rezoning. Bietz-Bielecki and neighbour Kathy Brideau both live just outside that notification area.
Krista Beatz-Bielecki among residents of Bloomfield pushing back against a rezoning proposal that could result in a scrapyard near her home. (Nipun Tiwari/CBC)
“We live in the country,” Brideau said. “We want to hang our laundry out and have it come in smelling fresh, not of burnt toxins. We want a quiet neighbourhood and we want our animals to feel safe in our yard.”
According to a report provided by Hampton town staff, the proposal has generated mostly opposition from residents. Following a public hearing, council referred the application back to staff for revisions before a final vote scheduled for July 14.
The property is currently zoned for low-impact industrial uses. Approval would create a new “Medium Industrial” zone allowing higher-intensity operations that Hampton’s zoning bylaw does not currently permit.
Bloomfield became part of Hampton in 2023 as a result of reforms that expanded the town’s municipal boundaries.
Residents fear impacts on rural life
Bietz-Bielecki and other residents say they’re worried about increased noise, pollution, property values, local wells and the overall character of their rural community.
A major recycling facility fire in Saint John in 2023 has also heightened concerns.
“It definitely makes us fearful that that could happen here,” Brideau said.
Kathy Brideau says she is afraid of a fire, similar to the 2023 AIM fire in Saint John, happening in Bloomfield as a result of a scrapyard. (Nipun Tiwari/CBC)
The staff report says the proposed zoning is designed specifically for Hampton and would permit lighter industrial uses than the province’s major cities of Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton, where scrapyards are restricted to heavy industrial areas.
Recommended conditions include requiring disruptive activities to occur inside enclosed buildings, prohibiting shredding and crushing operations, maintaining a minimum 100-metre setback from residential properties and installing two-metre fencing to reduce visual impacts. Staff say those measures should help preserve nearby property values and the “look and feel” of existing areas.
Brideau questioned how those conditions would be enforced.
“Who’s policing that?,” Brideau said. “That question was asked at the council meeting and basically, it’s us. As the community, we have to report if we see or smell anything that shouldn’t be happening.”
CBC News contacted the applicant PickUpPro Appliance & Electronics Recycling Ltd. Its owner Kyle Gillette said he would not do an interview while the rezoning process is underway.
The Town of Hampton declined interview requests on behalf of town staff and councillors.
However, in a letter included in the public hearing documents, Gillette said the site’s existing industrial designation makes it well suited for appliance and electronics recycling.
Gillette said operations would take place inside a 3,600-square-foot building to ensure “zero noise or environmental impact” on neighbouring properties while maintaining high standards for handling electronic waste and protecting the Kennebecasis watershed.
The proposal has also drawn opposition from neighbouring Valley Waters, which absorbed the other half of Bloomfield during the 2023 municipal reforms.
The Bloomfield community was amalgamated into Hampton during local reforms passed by the Blaine Higgs Progressive Conservative government in 2023. (Town of Hampton)
Valley Waters Mayor Randy McKnight wrote to Hampton council warning the project could have cross-boundary impacts and disrupt the area’s quiet rural lifestyle. He urged council to carefully consider the broader effects or impose “the strongest restrictions possible” if the rezoning proceeds.
If approved, the business would still need to obtain a provincial salvage dealer’s licence, which requires confirmation that the property’s zoning permits the proposed use.
Residents suspect illegal operation
Brideau and Bietz-Bielecki say they and other neighbours believe an unlicensed salvage yard may already be operating at the site, citing recurring noise and strong odours.
“I’ve been out here in the middle of the night and I can smell the burning plastic coming from that direction,” Bietz-Bielecki said.
“Initially I thought that my vehicle was on fire and I went and checked that, but it wasn’t. That’s what it smelled like — it had a really acrid, sickly sweet kind of smell.”
Brideau said the odours smell like burning metal and plastic.
“It stinks,” Brideau said. “It smells like burning metals and burning plastic. It stinks.”
Residents reported their concerns to New Brunswick’s Department of Environment and Climate Change.
The department responded in an email to a Bloomfield resident — shared with CBC News — saying it “determined there is a potential for an unlicensed salvage yard to be operating at [the] location.”
The province’s Department of Justice and Public safety confirmed to CBC News the matter is under investigation but spokesperson Jadesola Emmanuel said because of that the department is unable to comment further.