City’s plan to flip some green space to industrial use draws fire

Opposition is mounting against the city’s plan to sell off a piece of public green space for use as private industrial land.

In November, city staff recommended retaining 85 per cent of the former River Road Golf Course property as a riverside district park and consider selling the remaining parcel for light industrial development.

Near the end of their term, the previous city council endorsed the staff report that reads, “Approximately 20 acres of land will be explored for potential development. The remaining approximately 114 acres of the property will be retained for municipal park purposes.”

However, a growing chorus of voices want to see the entire property retained as public green space in east London, Ont.

“That property is part of a whole green space system that the city owns, and right now the city is not in a place where it should be selling any green space,” said Angus Johnson, chair of Greenspace London and a former player of the municipal golf course who fought to keep it open.

Map of the former River Road Golf Course in London, Ont. (Source: City of London)

Johnson has sent a letter to a council committee calling for the entire property to remain publicly accessible green space.

The letter includes a recommendation by Mary Ann Hodge of Climate Action London and Danalynn Williams of First Nation Phragmites Control.

Hodge said The London Plan’s intensification targets make the retention of existing public green space vital to people living in dense neighbourhoods and high-rises.

“As we are building the city up, we need to be thinking about securing all of the green spaces that we have that can be community green spaces,” she explained.

Map of the former River Road Golf Course in London, Ont. (Source: City of London)

Civic administration is studying the development potential of the 20 acre parcel this year.

Before the land can be listed for sale, the new city council must decide to sever it from the future parkland and declare it surplus land.

Johnson’s letter seeking to keep all of the former golf course property in public hands will be in front of the Community and Protective Services Committee on Tuesday.