Three decades ago, Lambeth wasn’t yet part of London. Now, its one of the hottest areas of development within the city.
Plans for two new subdivisions have been submitted to city hall, and if rezonings and street designs go according to plan, both new neighbourhoods could add 1,796 single family homes, townhouse units, and apartments to a largely still-rural area.
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The first proposal is by Lambeth Farms Inc., a division of York Developments, on 31 hectares (76.6 acres) at 3680 and 3700 Colonel Talbot Rd., north of Royal Magnolia Avenue. The second is on 15 hectares at 3563 Bostwick Rd., south of Pack Road, by Amiraco Properties Inc.
Both proposals come after a combined 366 new homes in Lambeth were approved by city council in January and earlier this month, part of a boom in southwest London.
“I think it’s a desired area of the city,” said Jared Zaifman, CEO of the London Home Builders’ Association. “It’s in the southwest, which has been growing significantly.”
London’s Ward 9, which includes Lambeth, was one of the fastest growing wards in the city according to a recent study of census population data.
Zaifman said that’s to be expected because it’s a “prime area” between downtown and Hwy. 401 and 402. He said it could grow even more thanks to the Amazon plant at the former Ford plant in Talbotville and the upcoming Volkswagen electric-vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas.
Southwest London is also home to much of the city’s available greenfield, which can be developed more cheaply than infill within the city, he said.
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On Colonel Talbot, plans call for 165 single-detached homes, 546 townhouse units and 336 apartments, served by an extension of Campbell Street and six new streets.
On Bostwick, plans call for 46 single-family homes, 93 townhouse units, and 610 apartments, including in two 17-storey towers, one 19-storey tower, and a six storey mid-rise.
Anna Hopkins, the ward councillor, says the growth in the area has been a long time coming.
“It’s good for the city, it’s good for the vitality of the community, that we build and have places for people to live,” she said.
While city staff haven’t weighed in yet, Hopkins expects the developments to be contentious given the number of homes being proposed – the so-called “intensity” of the plans . The Colonel Talbot plan in particular is expected to be built atop a creek, so environmental concerns have to be factored in, she said.
There are also traffic woes to consider and a lack of London Transit service that Hopkins hopes can be improved along with this kind of major growth.
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