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A city council committee has given its endorsement to reducing the minimum ceiling height in London to barely more than six feet to align with Ontario’s building code.
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Councillors voted 3-1 in favour of the tweak to London’s property standards bylaw, reducing the minimum headroom in a home by 10 centimetres to 1.85 metres, or less than six feet one inch.
Councillors David Ferriera, Hadleigh McAlister and Jerry Pribil supported the change at a meeting Monday of council’s community and protective services committee, while Coun. Sam Trosow voted against.
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The move is intended to align London with a change to the provincial building code taking effect in the new year, as well as the national building code.
Though Ferreira told The London Free Press previously he was supportive of the move that could allow more housing in spaces not previously available, being out of alignment with the province was also a reason for Monday’s endorsement.
“There could be many issues that arise from that . . . if we didn’t do that, you’d have more prospective landlords who are looking to convert the basement for example, going to the appeals court.”
Trosow took issue with the change, pointing to the city’s responsibility for health and safety, and said Londoners should be consulted.
On basement apartments specifically, he referenced the problem of illegal units in neighbourhoods near Western University and Fanshawe College.
“I don’t think that there’s any harm in us taking a closer look at this, separate and apart from the federal and provincial regulations,” Trosow said. “To ask for a little bit more local consideration with a local lens, is not an unreasonable thing to do.”
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Trosow tabled a motion to have city staff report back to committee on any potential accessibility, health and safety, and fire issues arising from the change, which was defeated 3-1 on the same voting lines.
The province did consultations on its forthcoming change, including with fire officials, architects and engineers, and the construction industry, city staff said.
Without the change to London’s rules, building permits would still have to be approved by the city based on provincial standards, but would then potentially violate the property standards bylaw.
“Our inspectors and chief building official would approve building permits that have a lower height . . . no bylaw that we can create can stop our (official) from issuing that permit,” said Scott Mathers, deputy city manager of planning.
The proposed change must be approved by city council.
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