Chelsea Estate property in Vernon sold

A large waterfront property in Vernon, B.C., that thousands had hoped would be purchased by the government and turned into parkland, has been sold.

More than 20,000 people signed an online petition calling on the province to buy the 234-acre property and use it to expand nearby Ellison Provincial Park.

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However, it appears the drive to create new parkland on the site may have failed, as both the city and the provincial government told Global News they didn’t purchase the property.

The province said in a statement that it had preliminary discussions with local government about potentially partnering to acquire the Chelsea Estate, but the land is no longer for sale.

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Petition organizer Mike Brown said if the land has been sold to a private buyer, that would be very disappointing.

However, Brown believes the level of support his petition received sends a wider message.

“I think the politicians should realize the demand for public land and public access is out there, “ Brown said.

“With that amount of people supporting the petition they should really focus their attention on acquiring more land for future generations so that we can continue to have that beauty to enjoy.”

The listing real estate agent said he could not comment except to say that conditions on the sale have been removed, but the deal has not yet closed.

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