After a contentious debate at city hall Tuesday night, installation of a wooden noise barrier along Veterans Memorial Parkway will go ahead, but a move to include a referendum in the next municipal vote was shot down.

Part of the acrimony came from accusations of political game-playing levelled by Ward 2 Councillor Bill Armstrong.

He accused Ward 1 Councillor Bud Polhill of trying to derail his efforts to get the noise barrier installed in order to benefit his son, who will challenge Armstrong for his council seat in the upcoming election.

"It's no coincidence, it's a fact his son is running in the election and why someone would try to derail this?"

Polhill made a last-minute suggestion to consider materials other than wood, which raised Armstrong's suspicions about his motives.

Armstrong said "Those residents will want to know who it is that brought this idea for a third time to look at another product."

Polhill said his motive was simply to get the best possible wall at the best possible price, which could mean a new synthetic product, "It's a better material, better sound attenuation, more attractive."

But city engineer John Braam said a change would mean he couldn't guarantee installation by this summer.

Ultimately a majority of council voted to move forward immediately with the wooden wall.

Polhill's son Steve has filed paperwork to challenge Armstrong for his Ward 2 seat this October, but the senior Polhill flatly rejects Armstrong's accusation of game-playing.

"If that was the case I would be better off to put the wooden wall up and see what it looks like afterwards and then say 'See what you did.'"

But Armstrong said "There was politics involved here and unfortunately I think that politics was being played with people's homes."

No referendum on performing arts centre

Also on Tuesday, Councillor Stephen Orser's attempt to get a plebiscite referendum question on the October ballot was soundly defeated by a vote of 11-1.

He wanted to ask Londoners whether they support funding a new performing arts centre.

But opponents said it will be up to council to decide whether to invest taxpayer money into the project.