The Plante administration will protect a new part of the Anjou golf course, in the east of Montreal.
Posted at 3:58 p.m.
The mayor made the announcement on Wednesday at the executive committee meeting.
“We must protect spaces that are already green. It’s a matter of common sense,” she said. “This modification will not prevent the activities of the golf club. »
The Anjou golf club had been the subject of lively debate this fall between promoters of its development and supporters of its conservation. During the last election campaign, Denis Coderre and borough mayor Luis Miranda belonged to the first camp, while Projet Montréal joined the second.
It is one of the last large green spaces in this area. The soil is however highly contaminated because a refinery has already operated in the area.
“We have been very clear about our desire to create a large park in the East, a lung for the East. It is part of this desire, “said Mr.me Plante, who also announced the protection of Boisé-Jean-Milot, in Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
In a telephone interview, the head of urban planning on the executive committee welcomed this decision.
“We double the protected portion,” said Robert Beaudry. “We are currently in a climate emergency, we must be able to put in place to allow citizens […] to enjoy green spaces and spaces that fight against heat islands. »
But the announcement does not only make people happy. Mayor Miranda on Wednesday denounced an “improvised” zoning change that could cost the City of Montreal dearly in compensation to owners. “The site was in development,” he said. “There are at least two buildings and five other projects in progress” in the area to be protected, he said.
Mr. Miranda also denounced the method used by the Plante administration: he said he learned of the decision on social networks.