An aerial view of Robert Pickton's farm in Port Coquitlam, B.C., taken by police during their investigation in 2002. (Canadian Press)

The Pickton family has lost a legal bid to change the zoning classification of the notorious pig farm in Port Coquitlam, B.C., where Robert Pickton killed six women.

Robert Pickton was sentenced last December to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years after he was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder.

He was convicted of killing Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Wolfe, Georgina Papin and Marnie Frey.

Pickton, his brother David and sister Linda Wright asked the Supreme Court of British Columbia to review a decision that reclassified the land as residential, significantly increasing property taxes.

A property assessment review panel ruled in 2003 that the land should be classified as residential and not a mix of residential and light industry, which had been its previous classification.

The Picktons wanted the value of the land to be set at less than $1 million, but the panel instead assessed it as residential land with a value of more than $4 million in 2004.

The family argued that those earlier decisions failed to acknowledge that the land was off limits from February 2002 until about December 2003 as police searched the property for evidence against Pickton.

But B.C. Supreme Court Judge Austin Cullen said the Picktons failed to appeal the earlier decision — which was upheld by an appeal panel — and never offered any evidence to suggest the assessment was unreasonable.

Pickton's appeal to start next March

Pickton's lawyers launched an appeal of his six convictions in January. It is scheduled to begin next March.

Six issues will be argued in the appeal, including the charge to the jury by B.C. Supreme Court Justice James Williams, in which he said jurors could convict even if they found Pickton didn't act alone.

Pickton also is charged with murder in the deaths of 20 other women. No date for that trial has been set and it is unlikely a second trial could proceed while the first trial is being appealed.

B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal has said the second trial will not go ahead if the six convictions are upheld on appeal.