Too much growth too fast, says councillor, of rezoning proposal in her ward

Alessio Donnini · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 14, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

A connection coming to London politicians this week that could alteration a southwest London neighbourhood is being received with apprehension by the councillor whose ward it would impact.

In a study that landed connected the desks of councillors last Wednesday, metropolis planners urge that assembly greenlight the proposal from Southside Construction Ltd., which seeks to adhd astir 4,000 caller dwellings to a agelong of Pack Road, betwixt Colonel Talbot and Bostwick roads.

It would bash truthful successful portion by changing the zoning rules astatine 6309 Pack Rd., to let accrued density and gathering tallness limits.

"I'm truthful disappointed," said Coun. Anna Hopkins, whose ward the imaginable improvement tract is in. "It's great to spot each this intensification, but we don't request this [much] intensity."

"Our schools and our parks and our amenity spaces are going to beryllium truthful acold behind."

The zoning application at 6309 Pack Rd. is the latest successful the country adjacent Lambeth and Talbot Village that would adhd to the important maturation seen successful that information of the metropolis successful the past decade — growth that has lone accelerated successful caller years. 

Its support would pave the mode for 206 azygous household houses, 36 thoroughfare townhouse units, and 5 high-density flat blocks, served by six caller streets. It would importantly summation the maximum density of parts of the country to 300 units per hectare, and rise maximum gathering heights on battalion road as precocious arsenic 16 stories.

Future developments successful the country could marque country for much than 17,000 caller people, with a fig of precocious density residential blocks on Pack Road, and little density areas including azygous detached homes and townhouses southbound of those.

The added density, portion expected successful the neighbourhood that's been location to galore caller developments, is excessively overmuch excessively soon, and with excessively galore questions inactive unanswered, Hopkins said.

"If you work this recommendation, there's inactive a batch much enactment to beryllium done arsenic we o.k. it. We still have to look astatine however we get successful and out of Pack Road [with the further traffic]."

Issues identified by unit successful the study see concerns implicit the capableness of the existing sewer strategy successful the area. Another interest is imaginable large bluish heron situation existing connected adjacent land.

Development really happening erstwhile the onshore is rezoned is babelike connected immoderate of those concerns being addressed earlier immoderate shovels deed the dirt.

The tract program process required for thing to beryllium built connected the onshore is apt to code the issues, but Hopkins questions if metropolis hallway would be doing the close happening by deferring specified captious decisions to later.

"We're starting to bash that much and much with applications, and I'm starting to enactment my feet connected the brakes a small bit. We privation to conscionable our lodging targets. We tin inactive get to wherever we're going, but we tin bash it, I think, successful a much thoughtful way," Hopkins said.

She said she's heard akin concerns from constituents, immoderate of whom person submitted letters to the committee successful absorption to the application. Those letters say the neighbourhood would beryllium drastically altered by the plan, and the summation of precocious rises crossed the thoroughfare from homes that backmost connected to Pack roadworthy would beryllium detrimental.

While Hopkins isn't connected the planning and situation committee, she said she'll promote councillors connected it to inquire for much enactment to beryllium done to code the existing concerns earlier approving it.

The committee volition see the connection connected July 15, and if it's approved there, it will go afloat assembly for support aboriginal this month.