Delta is backing down on filming bans in a pair of popular Ladner locations.
Council on Monday approved the staff recommendations in a report that has a number of changes in the way filming is carried out in Ladner Village and the North 40 Park Reserve.
For Ladner Village those changes include maintaining the municipal parking lot at 48 Avenue and Bridge Street for customer use, notifying business owners of upcoming filming and posting 鈥渂usiness open鈥� signs when filming is taking place.
At the North 40 Park Reserve, film schedules and contact information will be posted at the park entrance when filming is underway, while applications for filming at the park will be assessed and approved based on the independent merit of each application.
Council told staff to survey business owners and come back with a different set of regulations last December after a previous report had more stringent recommendations.
Staff at that time recommend a 21-day hold back between filming in Ladner Village and the North 40, effectively banning movie production for three-week periods. The recommendations also included not making the municipal parking lot available for film crews, and that communication and safety improvements for filming be implemented.
Staff put forward those earlier recommendations in response to complaints.
A scene from the TV series Riverdale was shot in Ladner Village this spring
The latest staff report notes a survey of 146 business owners, of which 45 participated, showed 75 per cent supported filming, 18 per cent were neutral while seven per cent did not support filming.
The report also noted the survey found many wanted 鈥渁ppropriate gaps鈥� of approximately one week between filming, but the report notes staff would continue to seek feedback from the community when it comes to scheduling.
As far as the off-leash North 40 dog park in East Ladner, 46 park users took part in a survey which found the majority of users supported filming. Most of the ideas suggested in that survey are part of the recommendations to council, with the exception of limiting the number of film vehicles permitted to enter the park during filming.
The parks recreation and culture commission came up with its own recommendation, calling for revenues derived from filming in the North 40 be held in a reserve and allocated to planning, restoration and interpretative efforts at the park. That recommendation was also approved.
The staff report notes film revenue generates approximately $60,000 annually for the city, going into the engineering department鈥檚 budget. That money is used to pay the city鈥檚 film liaison clerk and associated auxiliary salaries. A little over half that revenue is attributed to filming at the North 40.
