Re: Chicken farm could set ALR precedent (Letters, Oct. 17)
Ms. Wicks is correct. Landowners in Gordon Head have forced our neighbourhood into action against their chicken farm (or other industrial agriculture) to apply pressure for a residential development.
She is not correct about this setting a precedent for removal of land from the ALR.
I think the Agricultural Land Commission would support the removal of this property from the ALR because it is surrounded by homes, it cannot support crop growth, and it has not been farmed (other than a hobby farm) for many years.
This was also the long standing position of the Gordon Head local area plan which supported applications to remove this land parcel from the ALR.
This may be that one-in-a-1000 situation where having land remain in the ALR makes no sense.
Saanich council decided to change this policy to entrench this land as ALR on July 23, 2012. Why? I thought council’s job was to serve the best interests of our neighbourhood.
What would do this is a tastefully designed residential development that saves as many Garry oak trees as possible.
Mark Vukobrat
Saanich