February 15, 2013
Prince Edward Island

Man selling land near wind farm for one cent

By Ryan Ross | The Guardian | February 15, 2013 |

Most people pay a premium to get waterfront property, but a piece of land in Clearspring could be going for a real bargain. One cent, to be exact. Ivor Sargent, a seasonal resident who owns property in Clearspring, is ready to sell part of his land for a penny in protest against the provincial government’s plans for a 30-megawatt wind farm in the Hermanville-Clearspring area.

Sargent hopes to stop the project because he said the government’s claims they consulted with area landowners are false. “This is a farce,” he said. The property is part of the 89-acre parcel Sargent owns near the proposed wind farm along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Sargent plans to sell 23 acres, which will include about 75 metres of shoreline.

While the land will technically go for one cent, whoever buys it will have to spend a bit more because they will also have to pay whatever expenses are involved in surveying and subdividing the property.

Sargent is willing to sell the land for so little because he said if the wind farm goes ahead, his property value will drop.

“I’ve got nothing to lose,” he said.

His isn’t the first opposition to the wind farm development that was originally planned for Eastern Kings where the majority of the community voted in favour of it in a plebiscite.

But despite the plebiscite results, the Eastern Kings Community Council decided against the plan and the government moved on to its second choice in Hermanville-Clearspring.

Energy Minister Wes Sheridan has said 41 of 58, or 71 per cent, of landowners within a one-kilometre area around the development site have signed agreements that will see them get compensation as part of the project.

Part of the problem, Sargent said, is Sheridan can go ahead with the project because it’s in an unincorporated area.

“There’s nobody to stand against him,” Sargent said.

As for how much the land is worth, Sargent said he turned down an offer to sell it in 2005 because he wanted to subdivide the property. He said the offer was for $ 450,000.

In 2011, the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission found the 89- acre property was worth $ 35,000, which was the same price he paid for it in 1985.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/02/15/man-selling-land-near-wind-farm-for-one-cent/