Is annexing nearby Middlesex County communities the solution to London’s ‘exurb’ problems?

The chair of London’s Planning and Environment Committee dropped a bombshell at the end of Tuesday’s meeting

The chair of London’s Planning and Environment Committee (PEC) dropped a bombshell at the end of Tuesday’s meeting, suggesting it might be time for a discussion about annexing some nearby communities.

“I think at some point the province has to be brought in to maybe have an honest discussion [about] where we are going with Middlesex and with London,” Coun. Steve Lehman told colleagues.

Lehman suggested that the process of planning new infrastructure to serve the rapidly growing region might benefit from a change in governance.

“I’m saying we should talk about it, because I don’t want to see piecemeal things come before this committee about tying into our infrastructure without having that discussion,” he explained to CTV News after the meeting.

The planning committee was discussing Middlesex Centre’s request to revisit a 2002 Sanitary Sewer Agreement that permits sewage to be pumped from Arva to a City of London pollution plant for treatment.

Limits on the volume of sewage coming from Arva has allowed London to control residential growth just outside the city’s northern boundary.

Ex-urban residential sprawl, the expansion of low-density housing developments beyond the traditional suburban areas, into rural or semi-rural areas, has been accelerating in communities around London, but as Lehman pointed out, many of the residents utilize the City of London’s infrastructure and services without contributing to the property tax base.

Specifically, the west-end councillor points to an upcoming bridge widening on Oxford Street that is a popular route for residents of new subdivisions under construction in Komoka and Kilworth.

“We can’t set up a toll booth to get some financial help from those that are actually using the infrastructure,” Lehman added.

When asked by CTV News if potential annexations or shared servicing would contradict the primary tenet of The London Plan to build upward—not outward, Lehman replied, “I’m not saying this is the direction I want to go, what I want to see though is an overall plan regarding infrastructure and how we are going to work with our neighbours now that we are [growing] beside each other.”

London annexed several surrounding communities in 1961, including Masonville and Byron.

In 1993, London annexed nearly the entire township of Westminster near Highway 401 as well as Lambeth.

Thirty-two years later, it remains a point of contention for many residents of those areas.

However, Lehman believes the region’s rapid growth and the impacts of ex-urban growth occurring in Middlesex County justifies a conversation with the provincial government about a long-term plan.

“The projections are, we’re going to be the size of Hamilton in the not too distant future, maybe we’re going to have to start planning to be that regional large city, which we already are, in a way that takes into [account] how we want to handle the surrounding area,” Lehman explained.