'It will double our size': major residential development in Elgin County communities

An Elgin County community is expected to double in size as plans for multiple residential developments loom.

The Township of Southwold expects shovels in the ground as early as 2025.

The expansion is a direct spinoff of new industries coming to St. Thomas and London.

In Shedden, word is spreading that hundreds of new townsfolk are expected over the next few years — it is the same story in Fingal.

At the Shedden’s Canada Post Office, some residents are dead set against change, but others see it as progress.

“It won't change anything. This is a great little town, and we look forward to the development, said resident Bert Mulder.

The housing plan is aggressive. It calls for this a large swath of farmland behind the Shedden fire station to be transformed into a new subdivision.

It is the same story for what is now a cornfield across the street.

One of at least four major developments planned for the township of Southwold. (Source: Southwold Township)In Fingal, multiple lots will open all around town. All the projects are possible thanks to $ 28 million in provincial funding to construct the areas first waste-water facility.

With its completion set for next year, the deputy mayor said developers are ready to build.

“Oh, it's going to happen really fast,” said Justin Pennings. “We already have all the plans together. And, you know, I would not say the shovels are going in the ground tomorrow, but they're going in the ground very quickly.”

Pennings said small single-family residences, townhomes, and multi-storey buildings are part of the project There will also some affordable housing units.

A construction site in Southwold Township on September 19, 2024 (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)“There is at least 100 affordable units going in. You know, we are not encouraging, McMansions. We're hoping we can have a little bit more dense population within these communities.”

Without question, higher density neighbourhoods will alter the small-town atmosphere. Just over 5,000 people live in Southwold today. If all the new homes are constructed that figure will double.

Even development supporters wonder if that will come with a cost.

“It's gotten a lot busier here, and I'm sure it's going to get a lot busier once they start building all the houses with the dust and the trucks. So, we might move someday. But we don't have any plans right now," said Mulder.