Fence will make backyard ‘a jail’
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Updated: July 14, 2009 7:23 PM
The backyards of 15 households, west of 200 Street, along 52 Avenue and all the way to Brydon Pond will change despite fierce opposition from all the impacted residents at Langley City’s council meeting July 6.
Residents from this neighbourhood filled the chamber seats in opposition to the City proposing to build a gravel multi-use pathway that will connect the City’s nature trail system into a loop, bringing trail users under the 200 Street bridge and tying in to paths through the right-of-way to Brydon Lagoon.
A consultant said the trail under the bridge will be detrimental to wildlife like deer.
Regardless of what the City does, Metro Vancouver is installing a sewer trunk line behind all of these properties west of 200 Street and 53 Avenue.
The access road Metro builds will be gated and it will be four metres wide and kept clear of vegetation.
“There will be very extensive clearing of land, working close to the Nicomekl River so Metro Vancouver will have a Department of Fisheries and Oceans consultant with them,” said City head engineer Gary Vlieg in a presentation to council.
The majority of residents who spoke said the trail will look right into their backyards and ruin their private views of the floodplain and pond.
“Not in my backyard, thank you,” said Peter James who lives on 52 Avenue.
“This is not a nature trail, this is my backyard.”
Glen Gable said many residents have lived with those views for 20 years.
One man said a fence in his backyard would feel like being in jail.
The City is offering to pay 50 per cent of the cost for residents to put up five foot cedar fences. After meeting with the residents last December, staff have nixed the idea of putting in a berm that would have pedestrians look down into the backyards. The berm idea was to address the new 200-year flood levels the province has created.
The City voted to not deal with the new floodplain levels in just one area, but to come up with a strategic plan for the entire City.
A number of houses along the floodplain are below flood levels, said Vlieg.
But after consulting a legal opinion the City discovered it is not liable because when the City signed off on the height of the homes, they conformed to the former 200- year flood levels.
Langley Field Naturalist member and environmentalist Rhys Griffiths lives 200 yards from the proposed trail.
He believes the trail will cause more deterioration of flora and fauna.
“The wildlife will depart the lagoon. The wildlife have been driven out and our bird counts tell us the same tale,” he said.
“The excavated soil [for the trunk line] will cause significant problems.
“Nobody wants this trail,” he said.
Only two per cent of Burns Bog is open to the public unlike 75 per cent of the Nicomekl floodplain, said Griffiths.
He suggested a viewing station at 53 Avenue instead, allowing people to see high above the floodplain and lagoon.
Councillor Teri James called the 15 homeowners “selfish” for not wanting anyone else to enjoy the views they have.
“I can’t walk in your backyard and see that wildlife, so a trail is for all the public,” said James who voted in favour for the trail to be built. Only Councillors Jack Arnold and Rosemary Wallace voted against it.
“Twenty-three thousand residents will now be able to circle the city on trails,” said Councillor Dave Hall.
The project is expected to begin soon, with a completion date at the end of September.
Metro Vancouver is contributing around $100,000 to the trail.
The pipe will be two metres in length and the pathway is expected to be three metres wide.
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