People out for a walk on Sunday were surprised to find paths that
access Angell Woods in Beaconsfield were being patrolled by security
guards. <\/p>\n
The security personnel were hired by the private landowners who are
at loggerheads with the city over rezoning of the
8.6-million-square-foot forest between Highways 20 and 40. <\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of our neighbours told us it was a nice place to visit with
your dog. What a disappointment today,\u201d said Steve Gagn\u00e9 of Lachine
after being told he could not enter the woods. <\/p>\n
Two guards were at an entrance to the forest just west of homes
built on the former Fresh Meadows golf course. They said the public is
barred from entering the private property. In December, the landowners
posted no-trespassing signs. The signs was ignored by many. <\/p>\n
Pierre Couture, who has lived in the area for many years, said he appreciated using the woodland. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice for walking and also for bike riding. It\u2019s nice trails,\u201d
he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been accessible to the population for the last 20 years.
How come now it\u2019s closed?\u201d <\/p>\n
Couture hopes the city and landowners find a solution that saves a section of the woods as green space. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t mind some development. In Beaconsfield, we don\u2019t have any
industrial business, like Kirkland, that generates a lot of taxes,\u201d he
said. \u201cSo if you can sell that part on the 40, fine. It would be fun to
be able to protect a part of this as park.\u201d <\/p>\n
Derek Platt, a Beaconsfield dog owner who drove over with his daughters, was shocked to discover guards on duty. <\/p>\n
\u201cDo they feel we\u2019re violating their privacy by walking around on
this land? We\u2019re not abusing the land,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t understand
the necessity of having security guards. There are no fires going on,
no one is vandalizing the property.\u201d <\/p>\n
Platt said he can accept some development in the area. \u201cEverything
in moderation,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously people need places to live, but we
also want to preserve our nature parts.\u201d <\/p>\n
He hopes officials preserve the integrity of the forest but doesn\u2019t want entrance or parking fees. <\/p>\n
\u201cLeave it as a wild sanctuary. You don\u2019t need to profit from
everything,\u201d he added. \u201cComing through here you see the woodpeckers.
It\u2019s great for the kids walking around here observing all this.\u201d <\/p>\n
James Wilson, a Kirklander, hopes municipal officials and the Angell Woods landowners can find a middle ground. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like them to keep some of the green space. It\u2019s an unusual
spot. It\u2019s a golden opportunity for people to use it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt
certainly is well used. If it was just a marsh area or something else,
it would be different. <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople from N.D.G. come here to walk their dogs. There are not a
lot of places you can let them go to run free,\u201d he added, pointing to
about 40 dogs running up and down on the former golf fairway. <\/p>\n
Menashi Mashaal, whose company Yale Properties Ltd., owns about 3.5
million square feet of Angell Woods, said the guards were hired due to
concerns about the liability of allowing the public to use their land. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve spoken with our liability insurers and we have been advised
that just asking people to not show up and use the land is not enough,\u201d
he told The Gazette last week. <\/p>\n
The woods, which conservationists and some city officials have been
striving to preserve, has been under an interim control bylaw since
2010 which prohibits new construction. After holding a few advisory
group meetings last year, the city is now working on a proposed zoning
bylaw for the area, which also includes the Sunrise seniors complex and
Marian Hall residence on Elm Ave. <\/p>\n
Much of the woods is in private hands while about a quarter is
controlled by Beaconsfield, the city of Montreal, Ducks Unlimited, the
Association for the Protection of Angell Woods and the province. <\/p>\n