The City's OPA does not…

The City's OPA does not represent good planning consistent with the PPS. The Government should not approve the OPA in its current form. The amount of land proposed for the UGB expansion is in excess of the 30 years expressed in the PPS. This has been shared by the planners involved who did not sign the Dec 2024 report. The expansion is also based on the previous growth forecast from the Province which estimated a significantly higher population. In addition, at the meeting where the OPA was passed, the City Council added even more land. There was no planning basis for adding the additional lands. The amount of land needed was already overstated for another reason. In developing the land needs assessment, the City excluded 300 hectares already within its UGB from its vacant land inventory. These lands are within the Dingman Creek Subwatershed. The lands are part of an ongoing EA. Prior to Council passing the OPA on the UGB change, City staff posted new hazard mapping for the Dingman Creek area. At a January on line public participation meeting (link provided), it was stated that some of the 300 hectares previously excluded will be subject to an OPA, therefore, added to the vacant land inventory. Although an exact amount was not stated, it appears that the City of London Council overstated the amount of land needed for the UGB expansion in passing the OPA. In fact, the original estimate from City Staff was significantly lower using different density and housing type estimates.