A $1.86 million plot of land in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough that has been at the centre of a years-long fight over public space will be appropriated by the City of Montreal.

The Notman Garden, which lies at the corner of Clark and Milton, was once a part of the estate of photographer William Notman. The roughly 1,000 square metre space was the site of a planned development, something that was protested by neighbours and activists who wanted to see it preserved as a green space.

Tony Antakley, the head of Citizens for the Preservation of Notman Garden, lives across the street from the plot. He said the city’s decision has come as a relief.

“We couldn’t believe it, we’ve been fighting for so many years, and now, finally, we got it,” he said. “All the neighbours are very happy that finally we got the garden. We’ve been fighting for this space for many years.”

Antakley had been fighting against the development plans for 20 years, saying the site is a much needed green space.

“They wanted to cut the trees and build condos,” he said. “For us, this is a no-no, you can’t lose those trees, those are the lungs of our neighbourhood.”

The expropriation will be formally approved at a borough council meeting on Monday night. City councillor Alex Norris was among the municipal leaders behind the decision.

“It has some of the oldest and rarest trees in the entire metropolitan region of Montreal and it has great historic and heritage significance because it’s behind Notman House which has a lot of history behind it,” he said.

Norris could not provide a timeline for when the expropriation will be completed.

The development company that owns the property did not respond to requests for comment. He also could not say what the cost would be, saying only that the city and borough would split the cost of the purchase.

Antakley said he would like to see the plot’s trees saved and maintained and have the site developed into a public park with cultural and historic activities. Norris said the goal is foremost to preserve the natural space, but they also hope to turn the land into an oasis of tranquility in an urban area.

“We want to make it accessible to the public so people can come and have a place of respite from the noise and fumes and chaos of the city,” he said. “There’s no place like this in Montreal.”