P.E.I. developer Tim Banks to make controversial property at Point Deroche his home
CBC
Two properties totalling more than 60 acres on Prince Edward Island's North Shore, including the controversial development at Point Deroche, now have a new owner.
Well-known Island developer Tim Banks, the CEO of APM Group, had his purchase of the land approved by the provincial cabinet on Dec. 19.
The properties just west of French Village total 64 acres and include the residential complex that's currently under construction at 251 Kelpie Lane.
Banks said he plans to use the Point Deroche property as his private residence.
"It's half-built now. We're tightening it up for the winter, going to finish it next spring and move into it. And it's as simple as that," he said.
"It's a nice property. I don't need to explain it. We're going to move into it as our primary residence."
Public concern over the stone armouring installed on the beach adjacent to the Point Deroche house led to questions in the P.E.I. legislature, and eventually a report by the UPEI-based Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation that recommended sweeping changes in how the province manages its coastlines.
Tonnes of rock were installed down to the high-tide mark to protect the property from erosion, although that impeded public access to the beach.
The construction sparked widespread outrage among Islanders citing environmental concerns related to the stone armouring.
The report commissioned by the province raised concerns about the effectiveness of stone seawalls, saying they can fulfil their purpose of protecting the property immediately behind them, but at the same time could lead to additional erosion to the properties on either side of such projects.
Banks was direct when asked if the rock wall would remain in place at his new home.
"Of course it will," he said. "[They're] very effective. It's better than a lot of other options. We're in the engineering business; we know very well that it's sustainable."
Bryson Guptill is an avid hiker who has been critical of the Point Deroche development, especially the seawall.
Now that the property is in new hands, he's doubling down on his insistence that the wall should be removed.