Politicians set to balance industry, farmland, heritage with south London land plan

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An industrial subdivision may rise in southeast London as the owner wants to tear down homes on a large agricultural site to prepare it for development, according to a staff report going to politicians on Tuesday.

The 44 hectare (108 acre) plot of land at 1361 Wilton Grove Rd. is home to nine buildings and city staff support the demolition of eight of the structures for the creation of an industrial site, saving only one stately red brick farmhouse.

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The owner doesn’t yet have a site plan application filed with the city, but city staff believe the intent is to divide the large site into 16 blocks for business and industry, states the report going to council’s planning committee.

“Anything that brings economic growth to the city, absolutely,” Ward 8 Coun. Steve Lehman, planning committee chair, said of the industrial site. “The south end of the city is the perfect place for this. Volkswagen will be located just south of there. We know London could land a spinoff industry, we should be aggressive in courting that business.”

Volkswagen is building a $7-billion electric vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas, to open in 2027 employing 3,000. The proposed south London site may help draw suppliers to the automaker to London, he said.

Since there isn’t a development plan filed with the city, Lehman wants to hear from city staff on Tuesday as to what details there are. “We need to be enlightened as to what;s being discussed.”

The city’s real estate office had no knowledge of the proposal, as it is for a private site, said Bill Warner, director of realty services for the city.

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Ward 14 Coun. Steve Hillier, who represents the area, also supported the idea, saying he wants to see further intensification of development along Highway 401.

“I would love to see this in the area. We need to see more development along the Highway 401 corridor,” said Hillier. “Truck traffic should be close to Highway 401. I want to see a lot more intensification. Industry is the lifeblood of London.”

The application before the planning committee is for demolition of all nine buildings on the site known as the Croslea farm. A heritage impact assessment done on the property found only one building worth preserving for its heritage qualities, a two-and-a-half storey Queen Anne revival farmhouse. City staff in the report support the removal of eight other buildings.  

The Laidlaw family has been associated with the Wilton Grove area since 1832 and owned the property at 1361 Wilton Grove Rd. for more than 180 years (1840-2021). Between 1832 and 1834, a log cabin was built on the property by George Laidlaw.

“The Laidlaw family and the Croslea farm are significant to local agricultural history,” stated the staff report. “The property should be designated under . . .  the Ontario Heritage Act to protect the heritage attributes and significant cultural heritage value of (the farmhouse) on the property and promote its successful incorporation into a future redevelopment.”

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In 2021, the land was sold along with 1355 Wilton Grove Rd. as one site listed for $6.25 million. It was sold to someone from outside London, said Joanne Baines, the realtor who brokered the deal.

 The buildings on the site are vacant. 

The site is located on the south side of Wilton Grove Road with frontage on Highbury Avenue to the east, Green Valley Road to the south and Hubrey Road to the west. 

James Stewart Reaney, president of the London and Middlesex Historical Society, submitted a letter to politicians supporting saving one home on the land and demolishing eight other buildings.

“It’s consistent with previous actions by our executive and with one of our aims and missions, to identify and preserve buildings and sites of historic and architectural significance,” he said.

ndebono@postmedia.com

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