This page is a subpage of Natural History/Specific Areas
Connaught Battery Park is not in the Backlands per se, but adjacent and shares the same landscape.
Comments Sheila Stevenson who forwarded the Connaught Battery Park Integrated Master Plan (below): ” A working group from Purcells and Fergusons Coves commissioned this plan, presented in 2011 to HRM’s Peter Bigelow and Co, when HRM had let the lease lapse. HRM renewed the lease and made some upgrades to paths and signage, but have not kept it up because HRM has been trying to negotiate a better deal with the Province who, at last report in summer 2022 from Doug Reid in HRM parks PLanning, wasn’t interested! Consequently HRM is doing some minimal maintenance but has removed the playground equipment. At the time we noted to the planning students and to HRM staff that we were hopeful for protection of the Backlands and saw CBP as connected.”
View: Connaught Battery Park Integrated Master Plan (46 MB, 118 pages)
April 2011.
Prepared for: The Working Group for the Ferguson’s Cove and Purcell’s
Cove Neighbourhood Associations, by Bluestone Planning & Design.
“This work is a senior project produced in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the
Master of Planning programme at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2011”
EXTRACTS
The Planning Team: Bluestone Planning & Design is a team of four Master of Planning candidates from Dalhousie University’s School of Planning.The team brings a diverse knowledge base, skill sets and experiences to planning projects.
Shaan Desai: Shaan has a background in geography and specializes in environmental planning and climate change. He brings several technical skills to the Bluestone team, specifically GIS analysis and visual representation.
Troy Gonzalez: With a background in archaeology,Troy adds historical depth to Bluestone’s planning work.Troy brings expertise and practical experience in municipal sustainability planning as well as urban history to the planning team.
Lama Issa: Lama’s background in architecture brings imagination and precision to the Bluestone team. Lama’s expertise and experience lends itself to site planning and visual representation.
Daniel Scott: Daniel brings community engagement and facilitation skills to Bluestone Planning.With a background in anthropology and geography he applies a combined social and environmental research approach to planning projects.
Park Overview
Connaught Battery Park is a 21.7 acre coastal property in the Ferguson’s Cove community of Halifax Regional Municipality. With exceptional views of the Halifax Harbour and harbour approach, the park is a relic of the city’s military past and a cherished open space enjoyed by the residents of the Purcell’s Cove and Ferguson’s Cove communities.
Connaught Battery Park presents a valuable opportunity to enhance public access to the coast.The elevation and orientation of the site afford a unique view shed that includes a comprehensive picture of forts in the Halifax Defence Complex. As a cultural landscape the park provides a window onto part of the city’s historical identity.
The park also provides an excellent resource for both passive and active recreational use for the neighbouring communities of Purcell’s Cove and Ferguson’s Cove .The site was first developed as a park in the 1990s after years of neglect following the land transfer from the federal to provincial government. Since 1996 the municipality has leased the land for use as a community park, investing in substantial site preparation and development of recreation facilities. Park development has occurred largely on an ad hoc basis.A long-term planning framework to guide the acquisition, management and further investment in Connaught Battery Park is desirable.
In response to a request by the Joint Working Group for the Purcell’s Cove and Ferguson’s Cove Neighbourhood Associations a group of Master of Planning students from Dalhousie University have prepared this Integrated Master Plan for Connaught Battery Park.
Recognizing the park’s importance as a community recreation amenity and a site that provides public access to the coast through exceptional views, the Integrated Master Plan provides a long-term vision and directions for planning and design of Connaught Battery Park.
Plan Purpose and Process
The plan has the following objectives:
• To create a site design for Connaught Battery Park by situating it within an open space planning framework.
• To include meaningful community participation in setting park priorities and contributing to the site design process.
• To encourage HRM’s long-term interest in Connaught Battery Park as a community open space resource.
Page posted by David Patriquin
June 25, 2025