The 21-acre site in Glen Valley is thick with mature trees, ferns, and huckleberry, and is laced with paths and bike jumps created by locals over the decades.

The 21-acre site in Glen Valley is thick with mature trees, ferns, and huckleberry, and is laced with paths and bike jumps created by locals over the decades.

Photograph by: Matthew Claxton , Langley Advance

Faced with a sea of green-clad North Langley residents, Township council threw out its plans to sell some of its forests in Glen Valley.

The compromise means that a 21 acre section of land on 84th Avenue and 252nd Street will be kept in Township hands, Mayor Jack Froese announced at Monday night’s council meeting.

“I wanted to thank the hundreds of residents who have written to us, Facebooked, emailed, called, and signed petitions to bring their concerns to our attention,” Froese said.

The Township will keep trying to sell a 25 acre section of five lots, near 84th Avenue and 260th Street and north of an old gravel pit.

However, the first round of bids for those lands were rejected, and staff will be making the rounds of prospective buyers again trying to get a better price.

Five Langley residents had been scheduled to speak that night urging the council not to sell the land, and they had brought petitions with hundreds of additional names.

The speakers mixed thanks for not selling the western lands, with determination to see the land permanently protected.

“This easily could have gone a different way,” said Scott Perry. Perry had gathered signatures against the land sale at recent Canada Day celebrations.

“We are determined to continue until such time as this is made… a park for generations to come,” said Stuart Bucholtz.

“I think common sense ruled, once you people came down and saw there was a part of the world outside of this building,” said Albert Anderson, who lives near the forest.

Anderson had urged councillors to visit the land before making a decision, and had showed several of them around the site personally.

“Leave it as a natural park and don’t spend a whole lot of money on it,” he added.

Hilary Ruffini referred to the site as one created by 90 years of “wonderful neglect.”

By not selling the heavily forested western lands, the Township will find itself approximately $2 million short in its plans to buy the Aldergrove Elementary site and build a new recreation centre there, Froese said.

He encouraged those who have fought to save the properties to help raise money for that project.

That project will ultimately include a new pool and an ice arena for the neighbourhood.

After the meeting, Froese said that there is a hope that the sale of the remaining lands will get the Township enough money to move forward.

He also talked about seeing the site for himself.

“I think it’s beautiful,” Froese said. “The thing is, Langley is blessed with a lot of beautiful land.”

Froese also said the presence of two RCMP officers in the council chambers during the early part of the meeting was at his request.

At the last meeting, two weeks ago, there was some disruption linked to an audience member who did not have a direct connection to the issue and does not live in North Langley.

There was a discussion at the end of the last June meeting about banning that individual from meetings. No ban was put in place, according to the mayor, but that person did not attend Monday’s meeting.

Froese said that while there were a large number of people expected at the meeting and emotions were running somewhat high, he was not worried about the people of Glen Valley or those concerned about the forests issue. There had been no threatening communication to council on the matter, he said.

The officers were invited to get a feel for the crowd, and they left long before the meeting concluded.