Ontario Construction News staff writer
The province has approved changes to London’s Official Plan that allow higher density development near transit and existing infrastructure to make it easier to build new homes.
“This approval is an important step forward,” said Mayor Josh Morgan. “We’re creating more housing opportunities close to transit, services, and jobs and driving long-term economic growth by supporting local businesses.”
An amendment approved by London’s city council in September 2024 sets out policies that open the door for increased building heights, higher density, and mixed-use development.
According to an Environmental Registry of Ontario posting, the provincial government on August 11 approved the London plan, which “redesignates select underutilized and vacant industrial lands to non-industrial designations to facilitate residential and mixed-use development.”
The approved changes include:
- Allowing taller buildings downtown and in areas near transit, with heights of up to:
- 45 storeys in the downtown (up from 35)
- 35 storeys in Transit Village areas (up from 22)
- 15 storeys in urban corridors and major shopping areas (up from 10)
- 8 storeys along main streets (up from 6)
- 4 storeys, including stacked townhouses, on neighbourhood connector streets (up from 3)
- Designating the Dundas Street and Kellogg Lane area as a transit village
- Enabling council to approve new zoning regulations to allow high density development to proceed more quickly in key areas
“With this approval, we can speed development while maintaining a consistent framework for growth,” said planning and development director Heather McNeely, noting that all projects will still undergo the standard application review.
The province’s approval brings the Official Plan changes into full force to support London’s commitment to build 47,000 new homes by 2031.
The London metropolitan area, which also includes Strathroy, St. Thomas and portions of Elgin and Middlesex counties, is among the fastest growing regions in Canada with a 10-per cent population increase between 2016 and 2021, census data shows.
Projections estimate further expansion from the current 488,640 to almost 650,000 by 2051, although demographers say growth could slow along with cuts in Canada’s immigration quotas and house price increases in the London area.
