Hudson resident Rob Horwood is dismayed by what he saw near Sandy Beach in Hudson, Que., earlier this week.
He’s a member of the environmental group, Nature Hudson, that has been fighting to prevent development near the beach.
“There’s no need for it,” he insists, pointing to the concrete barriers that now block entrances to the beach. There are also signs forbidding trespassing on the land around the beach. Both the barriers and the signs were installed within the last few days.
A servitude for public use for the beach has existed since 2007, according to the Town of Hudson, but now the barriers, which people in Hudson assume were put in place by the property owner, have closed off access.
“It’s a shame,” said resident Paul Henderson, who showed up for his usual walk along to beach Thursday, only to find the path blocked. “I feel really sad for the people of Hudson because they seem to care about the area.”
Last October, the environment minister revoked an authorization that the property owner obtained in 2014 to develop land near the beach. Permission was rescinded because the land owner, Nicanco, did not begin work within the permitted timeframe of two years. Nianco is appealing the decision at the Quebec Administrative Tribunal.
“Nature Hudson had applied to be an intervenor,” Horwood told Global News.
According to Horwood, studies that were commissioned by Nature Hudson suggest building near the beach would put multiple wildlife species at risk. Horwood says he told a judge, during a recent hearing to consider the group’s application for intervenor status, that the people who went on the land to collect data for the study did not trespass.
“On the grounds that there are public pathways through here,” he said. “There (were) no signs indicating that the public isn’t welcome.”
Horwood believes that argument prompted the owner to install the barricades and the signs. Lawyers for the developer did not provide comment to Global News by deadline.
The Town of Hudson refused to comment, but a post on its Facebook page states, “a new path will have to be installed to connect the Town’s property to the beach area covered by the servitude.”
Some people, like Brenda Cochrane, support the developer, “because they’re trying to stop him from any development,” she said.
“I mean, I think you can do sustainable development.”
Residents are hoping to still be able to eventually access the beach legally.