About 1,670 hectares before the MinisterReThink Zoning$50,564 development chargeheritage listings and January 1, 2027
This page collects the growth and planning decisions in front of the new council. They are the growth boundary, the new zoning by-law (ReThink Zoning), development charges, servicing, heritage, and the planning issues that used to sit on the ward pages. For each it gives what is on the public record, with a source, and a question to put to your councillor. It recommends nothing and takes no side on any application or member.
Council writes The London Plan and the zoning by-law. The Province sets the floors under both, decides who may appeal, sets the development-charge exemptions and can override local zoning by order. The Province posted the growth boundary amendment council adopted in December 2025 for public comment on January 30, 2026 and had not decided it as of October 30, 2026. Two dated decisions fall to the new council in its first months. One is listed heritage buildings, due by January 1, 2027, and the other is the final zoning by-law, targeted for January 2027.
Wards are listed as touched. Ward placement is London Decides' own calculation from the City's 2026 ward layer, because the City publishes no ward table for these items. Vote tallies come from council and committee minutes, linked beside each one.
The honest numbers
Where London stands, every figure linked to its source.
Council writes the zoning by-law, which sets uses, heights, lot sizes and parking outside station areas. The Province sets floors it cannot go below. Up to three units are allowed on an urban residential lot, with no more than one parking space required for each added unit (s.16(3), O. Reg. 299/19). Zoning cannot require parking in a protected major transit station area (s.34(1.1)). On urban residential land outside the Greenbelt, a minimum setback is treated as 90% of what the by-law says, without a variance (s.34(1.4) and (1.5), with O. Reg. 545/06 setting 90%). Zoning cannot require electric-vehicle charging (s.34(1.1.1)). Planning Act, consolidated from July 1, 2026 (archived e-Laws copy, October 16, 2026) ↗
Site plan
Council runs site plan control on larger projects, covering access, grading, servicing and landscaping. Residential buildings of 10 units or fewer are outside site plan control (s.41(1.2)), and exterior design is not part of it, except for exterior access to buildings that will contain affordable housing (s.41(4.1)). Planning Act, consolidated from July 1, 2026 (archived e-Laws copy, October 16, 2026) ↗
Appeals
Council, or the Committee of Adjustment, decides applications. The Province sets who may appeal. The applicant, or whoever asked for an official plan change, and the Minister can always appeal. Public bodies, prescribed "specified persons" such as utilities, and registered owners of land the decision applies to can appeal only if they made a submission before the decision (s.17(36), s.34(19)). Tenants, and neighbours who do not own the affected land, cannot appeal. Rules that permit second and third units, inclusionary zoning, and uses, heights and densities in station areas can be appealed only by the Minister. The Ontario Land Tribunal decides appeals. Planning Act, consolidated from July 1, 2026 (archived e-Laws copy, October 16, 2026) ↗
Development charges
Council sets development-charge rates and its own discounts. The current by-law, C.P.-1551-227, has been in force since January 1, 2021. The Province sets the statutory exemptions and discounts. Affordable units, inclusionary units, long-term care homes, additional units and non-profit housing are exempt. New rental housing gets 25% off for three or more bedrooms, 20% for two and 15% for others, and payment is deferred to occupancy (Development Charges Act s.4.1 to 4.4, 26.1 and 26.2(1.1)). Development Charges Act, consolidated from June 2, 2026 (archived e-Laws copy) ↗City of London, Development Charges By-law C.P.-1551-227 ↗
Heritage
Council designates heritage properties and districts and issues heritage alteration permits. A property listed by December 31, 2022 must come off the register unless council gives notice of intention to designate it on or before January 1, 2027 (Ontario Heritage Act s.27(16)). A property that leaves the register this way cannot be listed again for five years (s.27(18)). While a property is listed, its owner must give 60 days' notice before demolishing it (s.27(9)), and that ends when the listing does. Ontario Heritage Act, s.27 (archived e-Laws copy, October 2026) ↗
On December 17, 2024 council adopted the City's Land Needs Assessment and voted 10 to 5 to start a growth boundary review "for inclusion of approximately 1,476 hectares". It voted 8 to 7 to ask the Province to support about 2,000 hectares and to model that scenario. A motion to study a 1,130-hectare alternative failed 7 to 8. Municipal Council minutes, December 17, 2024 ↗
On October 14, 2025 a vote to give leave for a motion titled "Revisiting the Urban Growth Boundary Review Using Updated Population Projections" failed 7 to 8, so that motion was never put. Municipal Council minutes, October 14, 2025 ↗
If the Minister does not decide within 120 days of receiving the amendment, the City can appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal for non-decision (Planning Act s.17(40)). The Minister can pause that 120-day clock by notice to the City (s.17(40.1)). A decision by the Minister cannot be appealed (s.17(36.5)). On London Decides' reading of these rules, no other party could appeal for non-decision here. The date the Ministry received OPA 166 is not published, and no notice pausing the clock was found. Planning Act, s.17(40) (archived e-Laws copy, October 18, 2026) ↗
Where
The expansion lands touch the northwest (Ward 7, plus Ward 8 for 1425-1439 Oxford Street West), the northeast (Wards 2 and 3), the southeast, both community and industrial land (Ward 14), and the southwest and west (Ward 9). London Decides placed the address points listed in each schedule on the City's 2026 ward layer; lands described only by lot and concession were not placed. Certified copy of Official Plan Amendment 166 (on the Environmental Registry) ↗City of London map layer, Election 2026 Wards ↗
Land outside the current boundary, as a share of each ward's area, is 71% in Ward 14, 65% in Ward 9, 51% in Ward 3, 39% in Ward 7, 29% in Ward 12, 23% in Ward 2 and 15% in Ward 8. Wards 1, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 13 have none. The current boundary encloses 23,912 hectares. This is London Decides' own calculation from City map layers, October 29, 2026. City of London map layer, Urban Growth Boundary ↗City of London map layer, Election 2026 Wards ↗
On March 3, 2026 council voted 11 to 3 to ask staff for a zoning change requiring at least one parking space per home. Homes with an affordable housing agreement and those in protected major transit station areas would be exempt. Council also asked for wider driveways and front-yard parking outside the Near Campus area. Whether the amendment has come back to council was not found. Municipal Council minutes, March 3, 2026 (item 13, 4.1) ↗
Development charges, the numbers
2026 rates
The 2026 rates are in force from January 1 to December 31, 2026, indexed 4.2%. Inside the Urban Growth Area, a single or semi-detached house pays $50,564, a row house $34,195, an apartment under two bedrooms $22,364 and an apartment of two bedrooms or more $30,306. Outside it, with no wastewater, stormwater or water charge, the same four pay $32,483,$21,970,$14,368 and $19,471. Commercial space pays $428.30 a square metre, institutional $264.21 and industrial $305.33; industrial charges are handled through the Industrial Lands Community Improvement Plan. Roads are $25,150 of the single-detached charge. City of London, 2026 development charges brochure (PDF) ↗
The reserves in 2025
In 2025 the roads reserve took in $31,327,094 and paid out $72,945,906. All development-charge reserves took in $68,484,708 and paid out $106,205,406, and their balance fell from $364.8 million to $327.1 million. Tax and rate funding covered $5,328,163 of council-approved incentives. Development-charge debt stood at $87.3 million issued and $289.6 million authorized and not yet issued. 2025 Development Charges Reserve Fund Report (committee agenda, May 27, 2026) ↗
City staff called wastewater treatment capacity "a major cost and constraint" of expanding the boundary. The Pottersburg plant upgrade is about $400 million, about $200 million of it for growth, and Adelaide is about $28 million. Staff wrote that the Oxford plant "does not have sufficient capacity" for full build-out of the southwest, west and northwest. Planning and Environment Committee agenda, October 1, 2025 (growth boundary review) ↗
The City's September 29, 2026 Building Faster Fund update says part of the Pottersburg wastewater treatment plant has been taken out of service, reducing how much it can treat. The plan funds a $4.18 million pumping station to send Pottersburg flows to the Vauxhall plant. The City says this will support more than 2,000 new homes. Building Faster Fund investment plan update, staff report, September 29, 2026 (report 2.1) ↗
The City publishes no plant-by-plant table of flows and capacity that London Decides found.
The one recent London case is 945 Bluegrass Drive (file OZ-26019), a 54-unit apartment building and a 224-bed long-term care home, both four storeys. Staff recommended approval. The Planning and Environment Committee passed it 3 to 2 on May 5, 2026. On May 12, 2026 council's motion to approve failed 5 to 10, and the minutes record the application as refused, with no reasons given. Members' reasons appear only in secondary reports, which were not verified. The decision has been appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT-26-000565 and OLT-26-000566), and no hearing date was found as of October 29, 2026. The site is in Ward 8 on London Decides' own placement. No other long-term-care application was found in the minutes read. Municipal Council minutes, May 12, 2026 ↗Planning and Environment Committee minutes, May 5, 2026 ↗City of London planning application, 945 Bluegrass Drive ↗Ontario Land Tribunal case status, OLT-26-000565 (read October 29, 2026) ↗
The option space
What cities try for this. Evidence for, evidence against, costs, and who decides, for every option, identically. The site does not pick one. That's council's job, and yours to weigh in on.
Expand the growth boundary, or hold it
Official Plan Amendment 166 brings about 1,582 hectares of community growth land and 88 hectares of industrial land inside the line, for growth to 2054. Council adopted it in December 2025, and it has been before the Minister since January 2026. Whether it takes effect, and in what form, is the Province's decision.
96 property owners asked to have land brought inside the line, and the London Home Builders' Association said "We want to ensure that as the growth continues to come to our community that we're ready for it." The association is an interested party. CBC (June 23, 2025) ↗
Where a boundary binds, land prices show it. New Zealand's Productivity Commission found in 2012 that land just inside Auckland's urban limit was worth almost nine times land just outside it. A 2013 research note for the Commission put the gap at about five to six times for typical land once other factors were counted. The note called the limit "a binding constraint on land supply." Research note for the New Zealand Productivity Commission on Auckland's metropolitan urban limit (2013) ↗
City staff called wastewater treatment capacity "a major cost and constraint" of expanding. The Pottersburg plant upgrade is about $400 million, about $200 million of it for growth, and staff wrote that the Oxford plant "does not have sufficient capacity" for full build-out of the southwest, west and northwest. Planning and Environment Committee agenda, October 1, 2025 (growth boundary review) ↗
In June 2025 Chippewas of the Thames First Nation and Oneida Nation of the Thames wrote to the City, and staff met Chippewas of the Thames on July 2, 2025. Staff listed a request to pause the boundary review until wastewater treatment concerns are resolved among the themes raised. Planning and Environment Committee agenda, October 1, 2025 (growth boundary review) ↗
Ontario's Housing Affordability Task Force wrote "a shortage of land isn't the cause of the problem. Land is available, both inside the existing built-up areas and on undeveloped land outside greenbelts." It points to zoning as the main fix. Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force report (2022), p. 10 ↗
Ottawa's city-commissioned analysis found new low-density greenfield homes cost that city a net $465 per person per year beyond the taxes and fees they generate, while high-density infill produces a net surplus of $606 per person per year. It covers one city, and the development industry contests its method, so treat it as indicative. No London-specific equivalent has been published. CBC Ottawa ↗
Halifax's consultants put the cost of sprawl at up to $3 billion over 18 years unless the region reached 50% infill. Stantec via CBC Nova Scotia ↗
Calgary's own staff priced 11 proposed edge communities at $23 million in added annual costs. A much larger "$33-billion" Calgary figure circulates; it could not be traced to a source and is not used here. CBC Calgary ↗
□ SHARED: CITY + PROVINCECouncil adopted it; the Minister decides whether it takes effect and can change it. If the Minister does not decide within 120 days of receiving it, the City can appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal for non-decision (Planning Act s.17(40)), and the Minister can pause that clock by notice to the City (s.17(40.1)). A decision by the Minister cannot be appealed (s.17(36.5)). The receipt date is not published.
How far the new zoning by-law should go
Draft ZBL-27 replaces the current zoning by-law, Z.-1, for all land in London, with the final by-law targeted for January 2027. The City's stated aims are "a regulatory framework that conforms to and works to achieve the policies of The London Plan", a "plain-language, and easy to navigate zoning by-law", "a more efficient and effective development review process" and "zoning regulations that support growth". The choice is how much it allows without a rezoning. Inclusionary zoning, which works only in approved station areas, is in the Housing File.
Permits are not homes. In Edmonton's main residential zone, 0.2% of properties were permitted to redevelop into buildings of 5 to 8 homes in the first two years. The reviewer reads that as many homes from few lots. Independent two-year review of Edmonton's rezoning (pro-housing lean) ↗
No published count shows how many lots or homes the draft would change, so the scale is not derived here. The draft applies to all land in all 14 wards. Under draft section 1.1.8, applications already in process are judged against Z.-1 as it read on the day the new by-law takes effect. No published London evidence specific to ZBL-27 was found on either side. Get Involved London, ReThink Zoning ↗Draft Zoning By-law ZBL-27, public release draft (September 17, 2026) ↗
■ CITY DECIDESThe new council decides the final by-law, and the Ontario Land Tribunal hears appeals. Because ZBL-27 applies to all land, any registered owner in London who makes a written or oral submission before it passes can appeal (London Decides' reading of Planning Act s.34(19)); tenants cannot. The provincial floors apply whatever council decides.
Development charges: discount, hold or raise
A one-time charge on new buildings that pays for growth roads, pipes, parks and other services. In 2026 a new single or semi-detached house inside the Urban Growth Area pays $50,564. Council sets the rates and its own discounts in a new by-law targeted for January 1, 2028; the Province sets the statutory exemptions.
□ SHARED: CITY + PROVINCE□ COST NOT DERIVABLE
THE EVIDENCE, THE COSTS, WHO DECIDES▾
EVIDENCE FOR
In June 2025 the mayor said the Province had confirmed in a letter that cities do not have to use property taxes to make up development charges lost to the statutory exemptions (CBC, June 11, 2025). City staff wrote in May 2026 that these exemptions are "not required to be backfilled", so the shortfall now falls on the development-charge reserve funds. CBC News London, June 11, 2025 ↗2025 Development Charges Reserve Fund Report (committee agenda, May 27, 2026) ↗
Toronto's purpose-built rental incentive, which defers development charges indefinitely and adds a property-tax break, drew 75 applications proposing more than 32,600 homes. City of Toronto release ↗
Tax and rate funding covered $5,328,163 of council-approved incentives in 2025. Since 2026 the reserves pay no interest on internal borrowing, which staff say means property taxes are "indirectly supporting growth expenditures"; staff did not put a figure on it. 2025 Development Charges Reserve Fund Report (committee agenda, May 27, 2026) ↗
□ SHARED: CITY + PROVINCECouncil sets the rates and its own discounts in the new by-law, tabled at committee in the first quarter of 2027, debated in the second quarter and in force January 1, 2028 (target). The Province sets the statutory exemptions and can change them at any time. No divided council vote on development charges was found for 2023 to 2026.
Listed heritage buildings by January 1, 2027: designate many, some, or let listings lapse
A property listed on London's heritage register by December 31, 2022 must come off the register unless council gives notice of intention to designate it on or before January 1, 2027 (Ontario Heritage Act s.27(16)). A property that leaves the register this way cannot be listed again for five years (s.27(18)). While a property is listed, its owner must give 60 days' notice before demolishing it (s.27(9)). The deadline is the Province's. Bill 23 (2022) set it, and Bill 200 (2024) moved it to January 1, 2027. The decision falls to the council in office in December 2026.
On August 25, 2026 council asked staff for a report on property-tax relief for designated properties. Staff reported in September 2026 on heritage property tax relief for eligible designated properties. If every eligible owner took part, relief would total about $509,000 a year at a 10% reduction and about $2.04 million at 40%. Staff said actual costs would depend on how the program is designed. The Planning and Environment Committee voted 5 to 0 to refer the program to the next council's 2027 to 2031 strategic plan and 2028 to 2031 budget, modelled on Collingwood's program. Council's October 14, 2026 decision is not yet in posted minutes. Municipal Council minutes, August 25, 2026 ↗Planning and Environment Committee agenda, September 21, 2026 (heritage staff report, p. 14) ↗Planning and Environment Committee minutes, September 21, 2026 (item 2.3) ↗
AT LONDON'S SCALE: NOT DERIVABLE FROM PUBLIC DATA
City staff counted 2,183 listed and 3,956 designated heritage properties in September 2026. The City's map layer counts records differently (2,180 listed and 4,073 designated on October 29, 2026). How many listed properties were on the register by the end of 2022 is not published, so up to 2,183 face the deadline. On October 14, 2025 council told staff to put 13 listed properties first for possible designation before the deadline. On July 21, 2026 council moved to designate 26 Erie Avenue. Against staff advice, it voted 11 to 4 to take no action on 471 Nightingale Avenue. In September 2026 the Planning and Environment Committee recommended designating 255 Delacourt Road, 1875 Richmond Street, 242 Huron Street and 11 Wellington Crescent. Against staff advice, it recommended no action on 203 Bathurst Street, 4307 Colonel Talbot Road, 1057 Waterloo Street, 415 Base Line Road East and 2457 Main Street. It moved 33 Bromleigh Avenue to its December 1, 2026 meeting. Council considered the September recommendations on October 14, 2026, and its minutes were not posted as of October 30. No London study of designation's effect on housing was found. Planning and Environment Committee agenda, September 21, 2026 (heritage staff report, pp. 4 and 21) ↗City of London map service, heritage properties and districts ↗Municipal Council minutes, July 21, 2026 (items 4 to 6) ↗Planning and Environment Committee minutes, September 21, 2026 ↗Planning and Environment Committee minutes, September 29, 2026 ↗
■ CITY DECIDESThe council in office in December 2026. The Act lets the Province prescribe a later date. Whether a regulation has done so was not checked; the Act text read in October 2026 still says January 1, 2027.
Developments and applications
■ CITY DECIDES
Former psychiatric hospital lands: plan for 8,400 homes
The former London Psychiatric Hospital site is 57 hectares at 850 Highbury Ave. N. In October 2024 council approved the planning changes for what the city called the largest residential development in London's history. It includes a commercial village core, parkland and a planned connection to the East London Link. It will be built in phases over about two decades, so several councils will decide on servicing and timing.
The honest numbers ▾
About 8,400 housing units, including 10 towers, built in phases over about two decades. Four existing buildings with provincial heritage value and a heritage-designated tree allee are being kept. Council approved the planning amendments in October 2024. City of London ↗
Ask your councillor
What roads, sewers and other services will the first phase on the hospital lands need, who is expected to build them, and who is expected to pay?
Heathwoods lands on Colonel Talbot Road: council's June 23 decision
On June 23, 2026, against the recommendation of the City's Director of Planning and Development, Municipal Council approved an Official Plan amendment and rezoning for 3924, 4012 and 4050 Colonel Talbot Road, applied for by the City of London and Auburn Developments Inc. (the Heathwoods lands in Lambeth). The new policy permits single detached dwellings, stacked townhouses and apartment buildings on parts of the lands, to a maximum of six storeys and up to 100 units per hectare. It also allows garage and driveway widths up to 60% on lots with 12.0 metres of frontage or less. Council supported red-line revisions to the draft plan of subdivision.
Westmount Commons: what is allowed and what is pending
Farhi Holdings bought Westmount Mall in August 2025, with stated plans for mixed-use redevelopment including apartments, and renamed it Westmount Commons. In February 2024, following an appeal by the then-owner when council had not decided the application, the Ontario Land Tribunal issued an order after a settlement between the City and the then-owner. According to the order, it allows buildings of up to three, eight and twelve storeys in three areas and adds some permitted uses. It sets no number of homes and no amount of office space. A separate application, under What is coming in this file, asks to allow more office space.
The honest numbers ▾
Tribunal order OLT-23-000367 and OLT-23-000368 (city file OZ-9565), issued February 26, 2024. The order sets heights of three, eight and twelve storeys and states no unit count and no office floor area. CBC News reported the sale on August 14, 2025. Ontario Land Tribunal decision, February 26, 2024 ↗
Ask your councillor
What would you want to see in the next phase of development at Westmount Commons, and what would you need before supporting it?
Bostwick, Wharncliffe and Wonderland: the proposed subdivision
A draft plan of subdivision and rezoning is proposed for 3080 and 3514 Bostwick Road, 1875 Wharncliffe Road South and 3341 Wonderland Road South (file 39T-25507/OZ-26066). It includes low-, medium- and high-density housing, mixed uses, open space along the Thornicroft Drain, parks and seven new neighbourhood streets. The City's notice states up to 4,904 units. CBC reported more than 5,000. The Planning and Environment Committee held the public meeting on August 11, 2026 and recommended approval 5 to 0. Council approved the Official Plan and zoning amendments 15 to 0 on August 25, 2026 (council minutes).
The honest numbers ▾
City notice of July 23, 2026 states up to 4,904 residential units. CBC London (August 12, 2026) reported more than 5,000, about 735 low-density, 1,210 medium-density and up to 3,070 high-density, and said the final plan could change. Application received September 4, 2025. City of London, planning application 39T-25507/OZ-26066 ↗
Ask your councillor
What conditions, if any, would you want attached for roads, transit and parks, and who should pay for them?
Large infill homes and minor variances in Old North
Some Old North neighbours have objected to large new infill homes that they say do not fit the streetscape of an established, partly heritage-character neighbourhood. The City's Committee of Adjustment, not council, decides requests for minor variances to zoning rules. The issue is citywide. CBC reported on it in Old North in 2024.
The honest numbers ▾
For a house at 65 Victoria Street, the Committee of Adjustment approved raising the maximum floor area on the lot from just over 4,000 to 7,400 square feet. Neighbours spoke against it at an April 2022 hearing. CBC News, May 21, 2024 ↗
Ask your councillor
Minor variances are decided by the Committee of Adjustment, not council. What, if anything, would you change about how infill variances are handled?
Heritage district rules and new housing in Wortley Village and Old South
The Wortley Village-Old South Heritage Conservation District has guidelines for changes to properties in the district. Staff described 10 Marley Place as one of the few larger properties in the district. On January 6, 2026 the Planning and Environment Committee approved a staff recommendation to allow 8 new stacked townhouse units behind the existing c.1878 house, which stays with its 4 units. Staff said the plan generally fits the district's guidelines, and that a Heritage Impact Assessment and a Heritage Alteration Permit would follow. Seven people spoke at the public meeting. Municipal Council approved it on January 20, 2026, adopting the committee's report 15 to 0 and passing By-laws C.P.-1512(fn)-27 and Z.-1-263403.
Ward 7's northwest neighbourhoods have been among London's fastest-growing for years. Development charges on new buildings help pay for roads, water and sewers in growing areas. City staff reported in May 2025 that growth came in below the City's 2021 projections and that charge revenue fell short, and that some growth projects would be deferred or released through Council decisions. No City document listing Ward 7's own projects has been located.
Development charges are fees on new buildings that help pay for roads, water and sewers. Some exemptions and discounts are set in law, and council sets its own incentives. In 2024 tax and rate payers covered both. Since 2025 the City no longer has to make up the exemptions set in law, so they now reduce the development-charge reserve funds. Tax and rate funding still covers council's own incentives, which came to $5.3 million in 2025. In a non-scientific CBC reader survey, housing and cost of living ranked among Londoners' top concerns for 2026. The survey was citywide, not Ward 7 polling.
In some older homes built before 1985, weeping tiles are connected to the sanitary sewer. In December 2025 CTV reported that London may require buyers of some homes to disconnect them, at a cost of up to $10,000. On March 23, 2026 a council committee did not support that requirement. The City's Basement Flooding Grant Program may cover part of the cost for qualifying homeowners who disconnect.
London's growth strains roads, water and wastewater systems, and everyday services. How the cost is split between existing taxpayers and new development is council's call.
The honest numbers ▾
Road and infrastructure maintenance was cited alongside homelessness and drug use as a top-three concern in the May 2026 CBC survey. Council controls the capital plan, road reconstruction priorities, and how growth costs are split between existing taxpayers (levy) and new development (development charges). CBC London reader survey, May 2026 ↗
Ask your councillor
Who should pay for the roads and sewers growth requires, new development or existing homeowners?
Planning rules and design review
■ CITY DECIDES
How new buildings get design review
In October 2023, council dissolved the volunteer Urban Design Peer Review Panel. It had six members and no power over approvals, and it reviewed non-industrial developments of five storeys or more. Deputy Mayor Lewis and Coun. Lehman moved the motion. Lewis said the panel repeated another review and added time. A former panel chair said it met a 10-day timeline and did not cause delays. Council also agreed to look at expanding the role of the Advisory Committee on Planning. The change applies in every ward.
The honest numbers ▾
Council voted 10 to 4 to dissolve the panel. Councillors Hopkins, Ferreira, Franke and Trosow voted to keep it. Councillor Hillier was absent. CBC News, October 18, 2023 ↗
Ask your councillor
Who should review the design of larger new buildings in London, and how long should that review take?
Oct 17, 2023Council dissolved the volunteer Urban Design Peer Review Panel, which reviewed new-development design, after sponsors argued it added delay/cost during the housing crisis.Passed 10-4 (1 absent) · Minutes
■ CITY DECIDES
Council folds the Southwest Area Secondary Plan into The London Plan
On July 21, 2026, Municipal Council approved removing the Southwest Area Secondary Plan as a standalone plan. Specific SWAP policies move into The London Plan, several lands are redesignated, and 443 and 447 Exeter Road change from Light Industrial to Shopping Area. Staff are to confirm transition provisions so existing uses at those two addresses can continue until redevelopment. Council's reasons were that the changes are consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024, conform to the general intent of The London Plan, and align development in the Southwest Area more closely with London Plan policies. Lambeth and Talbot Village sit inside the Southwest Area Secondary Plan (SWAP), which Council approved in November 2012. It was appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board and took effect on April 29, 2014.
Plans, applications and reports still ahead of council.
■ CITY DECIDES
Westmount Commons: the office space application
Westmount Development London Corporation has applied (city file OZ-26061) to raise the cap on office space at 755-765, 785 and 815 Wonderland Road South. The plan reworks space inside the existing mall for one large office tenant, with no new tower. City staff recommended refusing it, saying the added office space would weaken downtown's role as the main office area. On July 14, 2026 the Planning and Environment Committee heard delegations and referred the file to a later meeting so the applicant could secure tenant commitment. On July 21, 2026 council voted 11 to 4 to refer it back to the committee. The City's page, last updated in July 2026, shows no decision on the application, and none was found as of October 29, 2026.
How would you weigh the office space requested at Westmount Commons, including the applicant's plan for one large tenant, against staff's concern for downtown's role as the main office area?
IKEA opened a small-format store of about 43,000 square feet at White Oaks Mall, 1105 Wellington Road, on September 29, 2026 (CTV News London, Retail Insider). Westdell Development Corp, which acquired the mall, has proposed more at the site, including a hotel, sports and entertainment facilities and new retail.
On December 16, 2025 council voted 9 to 3 for the committee's recommendation on an amended expansion of London's Urban Growth Boundary. It then passed Official Plan Amendment 166 as By-law C.P.-1512(fk)-11 on third reading, 10 to 2. It is before the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, who had not decided it as of October 29, 2026. The expansion lands touch Wards 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 14; Ward 12 has farmland outside the line, none of it in this amendment (London Decides' own calculation on the 2026 ward layer; lands described only by lot and concession were not placed). Council also makes decisions on how growth is serviced and phased, on new land and inside the built-up area.
Dec 16, 2025Council adopted an Urban Growth Boundary expansion (Official Plan Amendment 166, By-law C.P.-1512(fk)-11): roughly 1,582 hectares of new community-growth land and 88 hectares of industrial land to cover projected growth to 2054, and sent it to the Province, which had not decided as of October 29, 2026.Passed 9-3 (3 absent) on the committee recommendation. The by-law itself, C.P.-1512(fk)-11 (Bill No. 11), passed third reading 10-2 the same night (Nays: Trosow and Franke; Ferreira voted for the by-law after voting against the recommendation; minutes PDF p. 40). Cells show the 9-3 recommendation vote. · Minutes
Dec 16, 2025An amendment (same meeting as the boundary adoption vote) adding further parcels to the boundary expansion beyond the staff-recommended map: two lots in Concession 3 and 1425-1439 Oxford Street West.Passed 7-5 (3 absent) · Minutes
■ CITY DECIDES
ReThink Zoning: the new zoning by-law (draft ZBL-27)
The City's draft of a new zoning by-law, ZBL-27 (file Z-26114), was released September 17, 2026. It would replace the current by-law, Z.-1, for all land in London. The City first asked for comments by October 30, 2026, then extended the deadline to November 27, 2026 in a notice dated November 3. City information sessions run on November 6 and 24 (Get Involved London). The final by-law is targeted for council in January 2027. No public meeting date had been posted as of October 29, 2026, and council has taken no vote on the draft.
What would you need to see in the final zoning by-law, and in the record of public comments, before you vote on it?
■ CITY DECIDES
Listed heritage properties and the January 1, 2027 deadline
Under the Ontario Heritage Act, a property listed on the heritage register by December 31, 2022 must come off the register unless council gives notice of intention to designate it on or before January 1, 2027 (s.27(16)). While a property is listed, its owner must give 60 days' notice before demolishing it, and that ends with removal. On November 25, 2025 council refused one designation, 1269 Hyde Park Road, 10 to 5. On October 14, 2025 council told staff to put 13 listed properties first for possible designation before the deadline. On July 21, 2026 council moved to designate 26 Erie Avenue. Against staff advice, it voted 11 to 4 to take no action on 471 Nightingale Avenue. In September 2026 the Planning and Environment Committee recommended designating 255 Delacourt Road, 1875 Richmond Street, 242 Huron Street and 11 Wellington Crescent. Against staff advice, it recommended no action on 203 Bathurst Street, 4307 Colonel Talbot Road, 1057 Waterloo Street, 415 Base Line Road East and 2457 Main Street. It moved 33 Bromleigh Avenue to its December 1, 2026 meeting. Council considered the September recommendations on October 14, 2026, and its minutes were not posted as of October 30.
How should council decide which listed properties, if any, to designate by January 1, 2027?
■ CITY DECIDES
The 2028 development-charge by-law
London's development-charge by-law, C.P.-1551-227, has been in force since January 1, 2021. The study for its replacement is to be tabled at the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee in the first quarter of 2027 and debated in the second quarter, with the new by-law targeted to take effect January 1, 2028. Council sets the rates and its own discounts; the Province sets the statutory exemptions. The City's page listed no public meeting dates as of October 29, 2026.
What should the 2028 development-charge study say about discounts, and about who covers the difference?
■ CITY DECIDES
A council policy on wastewater servicing capacity
The 2027 growth-servicing plan forecasts "capacity constraints in the next 2-3 years" at the Oxford wastewater treatment plant and says planned 2032 spending "will be requested for advancement to 2027 upon completion of the design". It targets a council policy on wastewater servicing capacity for the second quarter of 2027. City staff wrote in 2025 that the Oxford plant "does not have sufficient capacity" for full build-out of the southwest, west and northwest. The City's September 29, 2026 Building Faster Fund update says part of the Pottersburg wastewater treatment plant has been taken out of service, reducing how much it can treat. The plan funds a $4.18 million pumping station to send Pottersburg flows to the Vauxhall plant. The City says this will support more than 2,000 new homes.
What should a council policy on wastewater capacity decide about which areas connect first, and how should residents be told?
■ CITY DECIDES
Hyde Park pumping station upgrade
The City's 2026 growth-servicing plan says the Hyde Park pumping station, at 1439 Staffordshire Road, has "no remaining capacity available, which prevents further growth in the area and delays delivery of an additional 1900 housing units". The City's project page lists construction from fall 2026 to summer 2027.
945 Bluegrass Drive: the long-term-care application at the Tribunal
City staff recommended approving an application for a four-storey, 54-unit apartment building and a four-storey, 224-bed long-term care home at 945 Bluegrass Drive (file OZ-26019). The Planning and Environment Committee passed it 3 to 2 on May 5, 2026. On May 12, 2026 council's motion to approve failed 5 to 10, and the minutes record the application as refused, with no reasons given. The decision has been appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
On March 3, 2026 council adopted permanent zoning limits on additional units. Outside the Near Campus Neighbourhoods, each additional unit may have two bedrooms, and the additional units in the main building may have three bedrooms in total. Everywhere in the city, no additional unit may be larger than 80% of the main dwelling's floor area. The amendment was appealed. The City's page says an interim control by-law with similar limits applies until the appeals are resolved, but council's March 3, 2026 minutes list a by-law repealing it.
What would you want council to do with the additional-unit limits once the Tribunal rules?
■ CITY DECIDES
Development Charge Reduction Program: London's application
The federal-provincial Development Charge Reduction Program pays part of the cost when a city cuts development charges by 30% to 50% or more for three years. At a special meeting on June 17, 2026, council voted to apply. A transfer payment agreement would come to council if the City is successful. No award or agreement appears in council records through the October 14, 2026 council agenda.
If London receives an award, what should council look for in the agreement before it signs?
What to ask your council
Anyone at City Hall can say this issue matters. These are the questions that ask for specifics. Send them to your councillor, or bring them to a committee meeting.
The Minister has not decided the growth boundary amendment, OPA 166. What would you want council to do if the decision is still open in 2027?
ReThink Zoning is targeted for January 2027. What would you need to see in the final by-law, and in the record of public comments, before you vote on it?
Which listed heritage buildings, if any, should council move to designate by January 1, 2027, and how should it choose?
The 2028 development-charge study is tabled in early 2027. What should it say about discounts, and about who covers the difference?
City staff have targeted a council policy on wastewater servicing capacity for mid-2027. What should it decide about which areas connect first, and how should residents be told?
Issues in your ward
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