NCC to buy land to stop development in Gatineau Park

A property in Gatineau Park where 18 new houses were to be built will be purchased by the National Capital Commission to prevent development.

The commission reached a deal in March with the vendor of 35.64 hectares of private land on Carman Road, and has now received thefederal government's approval to buy the property, the agency announced in a news release Wednesday.

The NCC manages federal lands and buildings, including the 36,131-hectare western Quebec park.

"The acquisition of this land on Carman Road reaffirms the National Capital Commission's commitment to preventing further development in Gatineau Park," commission CEO Marie Lemay said in a statement. "Since becoming aware of the Carman Road project in January, I said that the NCC would take this seriously. This acquisition is the proof that we have done so."

The park is 98 per cent public property, owned mostly by the NCC, with a minority stake held by the Quebec government. However, 605 hectares are privately owned. The NCC said it is working on an inventory of that land and so it can identify which properties it could acquire.

The National Capital Act requires the agency to seek Treasury Board approval for all land purchases of more than $25,000.

In April, a group of residents in Chelsea, Que., the municipality that includes part of the park, went to their local council to express their concerns about the Carman Road plan and to call for a development freeze in the park.