Planning committee wants debris from toppled historic barn removed by hand

An 81-year old property owner told CTV News he’ll do the work himself without machinery, if that’s the method directed by city council.

Three years after John McLeod demolished the historic barn on Halls Mill Road without a permit, a plan to remove the pile of wooden debris is taking shape.

On Monday, the Planning and Environment Committee considered a staff recommendation to permit the removal of the woodpile so that the provincial Conservation Review Board (CRB) can determine if the barn’s stone foundation still merits heritage designation.

“What is the reason of wanting to designate a crumbling old barn wall that is on private property and you can’t see from the street?” McLeod asked during his brief delegation to the committee.

He would rather remove what’s left of the barn and its foundation.

McLeod’s long-term plan for the site is to build infill houses that resemble the heritage of the neighbourhood.

Coun. Steve Hillier questioned the heritage value of the stone foundation without the a barn on top.

A pile of wooden debris at 247 Halls Mill Rd. in Byron, Ont. on March 20, 2023. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London) “I honestly do not see an end use for this [foundation],” Hillier told his council colleagues. “I just think we are putting people through the wringer.”

On Jan. 28, 2020, city council declared its intention to grant heritage protection to the 130-year old barn at 247 Halls Mill Rd. in Byron.

The decision blocked McLeod’s request for a demolition permit, but two nights later McLeod used heavy equipment to knock over the barn.

He was eventually fined $2,000 under the Ontario Heritage Act.

A large pile of wood and debris has remained on the site for three years after city hall issued a stop work order.

In Feb. 2022, McLeod filed an appeal to the CRB challenging council’s intention to designate the barn as a heritage structure.

A demolition permit to remove the wood will permit a heritage assessment of the stone foundation.

“The process has gotten out of line too many times on this one, and we’ve got to follow through on the remainder of the process in the proper way,” said Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis.

A historic barn on Halls Mill Road prior to demolition. Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)The committee supported staff’s recommendation to permit removal of the wood, but McLeod must follow a demolition plan that’s already on file at city hall, and the work must be done by hand.

The staff report warns that the foundation could be damaged unless the work is, “completed by hand removal, without the use of machinery, to ensure the retention of the brick and rubble stone foundation.”

After the meeting McLeod declined to be interviewed by CTV News, but did say he is almost 82 years old and intends to remove the massive pile of beams and barn boards himself.

Coun. Anna Hopkins, who represents the area, wants concerned neighbours to know that the city will keep an eye on the work to ensure it confirms to the demolition plan.

“The city is able to monitor [the work] to make sure they are removing the debris, and not damaging the structure, to determine if it has any significance,” Hopkins added.

Council will make a final decision on the request to remove the wood pile at its meeting on April 4.