Covenant to protect nature on Gospel Rock finalized, what is it?

Conservation covenant covers 16.6 acres of 47-acre Block 7; Town to protect more area but nothing is in writing yet

(By News Desk)

After “an extremely messy process,” the Land Conservancy of Canada (TLC), the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association (SCCA), the Town of Gibsons, and owner and developer Greenlane Homes, have signed a covenant to preserve wildlife habitat and ecological values on 16.6 acres of Block 7 in perpetuity. 

The covenant has been sent to the Land Title Office to be registered on title. 

“This was an extremely messy process, and it didn’t have to be that way,” Daniel Bouman, chairperson of the Friends of Gospel Rock Society, which is not a partner in the covenant, told The Coast Clarion. “It is nothing short of a miracle that we ended up with almost half of the property protected.

“Of course, the best outcome would have been if the entire Block 7 had been preserved as a park. There have been opportunities in the distant past to bring that about, but unfortunately it did not happen.”

In addition to the covenant, the Town of Gibsons has also obtained some land for protection, notably three water accesses on the lower portion of the property. How the nature values in these areas will be protected is still a dangling issue, Bouman said. The Town has given assurances that the lands will be managed to the same standards as the land in the covenant, but nothing is in writing yet. 

The penalties will be quite severe if the standards in the covenant are violated, he said. Details will become public once the covenant is on title. 

The owner of the property will have to pay $1,500 every year to have the covenant area inspected by qualified biologists. In addition, members of the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association will regularly check the impact of the public on the nature areas.

In the first phase of the development, Greenlane Homes will build 360 housing units on the upper benches of Block 7. 

To prevent damage and protect wildlife, dogs will have to be kept on a leash. The trails will not allow for wheelchairs, bicycles or baby carriages, but there will be lots of foot traffic in the maritime forest, on the waterfront shoreline, near the viewpoints and at the picnic spots. 

The Gospel Rock Neighbourhood Plan allows for 1,100 housing units in the area. If it gets too busy with members of the public enjoying the preserved areas, fences can be erected along the trails, Bouman said. 

“If it had been up to me, there would have been no trails at all. But then people would cause more harm, going into the forest at random. At least now they are going to be concentrated on the trails,” he said. 

The Friends of Gospel Rock and the SCCA are happy the Land Conservancy of Canada is a partner in the covenant, he said. “They have money for legal defence if necessary, and they have good experts.”

“I am absolutely delighted to see that decades of advocacy and public engagement has resulted in a conservation covenant for Gospel Rock forests and waterfront,” Bouman said earlier. “This is the highest level of ecological protection available for private land in B.C.”

Members of the Gibsons community have campaigned for at least 50 years to preserve Gospel Rock in its natural state. 

To much local indignation, the owner of Block 7 at the time clear cut the upper benches of the property in 1992. In 2002, the bench lands were bulldozed again, and again in 2020. 

In 2021, the developer clear-cut 1 acre of area that was to be preserved. The Town fined him $900; the developer apologized. 

Most of the lands that are now protected were never disturbed by developers. They are mostly on the steep slopes. 

Gibsons mayor Bill Beamish is happy with the covenant. “It is an achievement, a milestone and an example of responsible development and environmental conservation,” a statement said. “I hope this is just the beginning.”