P.E.I. developer Tim Banks to make controversial property at Point Deroche his home

Two properties totalling more than 60 acres on Prince Edward Island's North Shore, including the controversial development at Point Deroche, now have a new owner.

Well-known Island developer Tim Banks, the CEO of APM Group, had his purchase of the land approved by the provincial cabinet on Dec. 19.

The properties just west of French Village total 64 acres and include the residential complex that's currently under construction at 251 Kelpie Lane.

Banks said he plans to use the Point Deroche property as his private residence.

A report from the UPEI-based Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation, released in December, raised concerns about the effectiveness of stone seawalls like the one built at the 251 Kelpie Lane in Point Deroche. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)

"It's half-built now. We're tightening it up for the winter, going to finish it next spring and move into it. And it's as simple as that," he said.

"It's a nice property. I don't need to explain it. We're going to move into it as our primary residence."

Seawall was eye of a storm

Public concern over the stone armouring installed on the beach adjacent to the Point Deroche house led to questions in the P.E.I. legislature, and eventually a report by the UPEI-based Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation that recommended sweeping changes in how the province manages its coastlines.

Tonnes of rock were installed down to the high-tide mark to protect the property from erosion, although that impeded public access to the beach.

The construction sparked widespread outrage among Islanders citing environmental concerns related to the stone armouring.

This site plan shows the proposed five-structure residential project at the end of Kelpie Lane, including the seawall (along top). (Province of P.E.I.)

The report commissioned by the province raised concerns about the effectiveness of stone seawalls, saying they can fulfil their purpose of protecting the property immediately behind them, but at the same time could lead to additional erosion to the properties on either side of such projects.

Banks was direct when asked if the rock wall would remain in place at his new home.

"Of course it will," he said. "[They're] very effective. It's better than a lot of other options. We're in the engineering business; we know very well that it's sustainable."

'It doesn't make it any more OK'

Bryson Guptill is an avid hiker who has been critical of the Point Deroche development, especially the seawall.

Now that the property is in new hands, he's doubling down on his insistence that the wall should be removed.

'It doesn't make it any more OK than it was previously,' avid hiker Bryson Guptill says of Tim Banks buying the half-built residential complex at Point Deroche. Guptill says environmental concerns about the development remain. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)

"It doesn't make it any more OK than it was previously," Guptill said of an Islander buying the land from its out-of-province owner.

"The two primary concerns are that the main building — there are five buildings involved — is closer to the bank than what is allowed in the regulations. It's about 50 feet from the bank instead of 75 allowed in the regulations. The second thing is that the armour stone shore protection is essentially on the public beach."

Though Banks will use the Point Deroche property as his own residence, he said he plans to donate the majority of the land back to the province in order to protect wetlands in the area.

Officials with the P.E.I. government confirm discussions are underway on that front.

'We're going to use it as a private residence. It's our business and no one else’s,' says Island developer Tim Banks about his purchase. (Kerry Campbell/CBC)

"We feel it's a very important thing to do," Banks said. "We just feel that with the acquisition of the property… there is a significant portion of that land that could be designated as wetlands and it's a lot easier to give it to the province than have it managed by ourselves."

As for the furor that has surrounded the property, the developer said he's not concerned about whether that will continue when construction resumes in the spring.

"I can't predict what people are going to do," Banks said. "We're going to use it as a private residence. It's our business and no one else's."