WITLESS BAY, N.L. – A planned housing project along one of Newfoundland’s prettiest coastlines has sparked a tense dispute as demand for seaside homes increases.
At issue is a small subdivision proposed about 50 metres from the famed East Coast Trail – a hikers’ paradise that draws international tourists to Witless Bay, N.L.
The scenic outport along Newfoundland’s Irish Loop, about a 30-minute drive south of St. John’s, is also adjacent to islands that comprise one of the world’s major seabird colonies.
Opponents from as far away as Norway and Japan signed more than 1,370 letters of protest against the project, compared to 11 letters of support, say statistics released by the town.
Naysayers fear that two separate requests for Crown land to build a road and about seven homes will spur construction that could stretch down the pristine shoreline.
“Obviously it would be worth an awful lot of money and that’s what really worries us,” said local resident Dena Wiseman. “We’re going to lose this beautiful coastline, and we just don’t think it should happen.
“This is Crown land that is well used by the public.”
Supporters of the project say private property owners have every right to apply to buy Crown land and have it appropriately zoned for housing.
The local town council has approved in principle rezoning the land to residential from rural. But it will ultimately be up to the province to decide whether to sell Crown land near the popular hiking trail and Ragged Beach area.
One group of opponents has applied to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador for an injunction to halt the rezoning process. It argues the town pre-emptively approved the development without proper zoning and despite public protest. That matter is still before a judge.
Caught in the middle of intensely competing interests is Witless Bay Mayor Derm Moran, a 61-year-old volunteer who recently retired as a fishing inspector.
“It’s Crown land, it’s not town land,” he said over the squawking of seagulls as he stood on the beach near the proposed development. “People misunderstand that. They think we’re giving away town land, the people’s land.”
Moran has lived in the tiny community of about 1,200 people for 39 years. He said town councillors are trying to strike a balance in the highly charged and at times emotional conflict.
“They’re only volunteers and there’s been nasty things said about us – very, very nasty.
“We’re saying, look people, we’re only trying to be fair with everybody and try and protect the town the best we can with the development that we know is going to be around us.”
The land in question is within view of islands that are a major sanctuary for Atlantic puffins – stocky little birds fondly dubbed “potatoes with wings” – and other seabirds. Opponents have raised concerns that artificial light from more coastal homes will throw off young nocturnal puffins that fly off course as they mistake that brightness for moonlight.
The puffin patrol in Witless Bay regularly rescues chicks that fly toward lights in town, releasing them back to the sea after dawn.
Local lore suggests the photogenic community was originally known as Whittle’s Bay, for the English captain who helped settle it. When his widow and children returned to England after his death, it was referred to as Whittle-less Bay which then morphed into Witless Bay.
“Witless, not hopeless,” as some residents like to say.
Gary Churchill, an architect by training who has helped design and manage construction of homes across Canada, wants to develop five residential lots on the disputed land.
He owns about a half hectare of property but has applied to buy about 1.6 hectares of Crown land that he would then sell to raise money for a road needed to access his plot.
“You cannot apply for Crown land unless you get the agreement of whatever municipality you’re in,” he said from his home in Ottawa.
Churchill, an avid hiker originally from St. John’s, wants to return to Newfoundland. He said his plan is to sell the lots under condition that the landscape within 25 metres of the East Coast Trail not be altered. Homes would be built even farther back.
Public access to the trail and Ragged Beach would be protected, Churchill stressed.
“I’m a Newfoundlander and I’m coming home. And I don’t know why I should be put into a situation to defend myself here. I’ve followed every regulation, everything that anybody has asked me to do, and I’ve bent over backwards not to insult anyone.”
Rather than trying to leverage the maximum development possible, Churchill said he has proposed large lots to minimize landscape destruction.
“They’ve got their own little empire there and they don’t want it interfered with by anyone else,” he said, referring to some of his most vocal opponents.
“They’ve got their own property there on the ocean, their own private beach and they don’t want anybody else developing around that area.
“I just want to do something decent here.”
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