Is the sky the limit? London councillors plan to build much taller buildings

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Politicians got a first glimpse on Tuesday of proposed new building height limits for the city centre and other densely populated areas of London, which would increase tall buildings in some areas by almost 50%.

Members of the council’s planning committee were presented with a report from SvN Architects and Planners, a consultancy engaged by the city, which suggested raising the height of building roofs, in some cases significantly, within the rules of the London Plan, the city’s master planning document. The suggested changes include:

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• City center: limit of 45 floors, instead of 35
• Transit villages: 30 floors instead of 22
• Rapid transit corridors:
  • 25 floors, compared to 16 previously, less than 150 meters from public transport stations
  • 15 floors, compared to 12 elsewhere in the corridors
• Urban corridors: 15 floors instead of 10
• Commercial areas:
  • Major (new): 15 floors
  • Community: Eight floors, up from six

“I think things are pretty much in the right place,” Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said. “These new proposed heights make a lot of sense and they’re pretty consistent with the decisions that have been made over the last several months.”

City staff said the new boundaries were recommended by the consultation group based on development industry trends, standards in other Ontario cities such as Kitchener and Hamilton, and information provided by developers.

The report will then be submitted to the city council for information, and then public consultation will begin. City staff plans to hold a public engagement meeting on the proposed height limit changes at the planning committee meeting on September 10.

But the lack of public participation so far has angered at least one politician.

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“It’s generated a lot of calls to my office and a lot of expressions of concern from my constituents,” said Ward 6 Councilor Sam Trosow, who also doesn’t sit on the planning committee but attended Tuesday’s meeting.

Ward 9 councillor Anna Hopkins also attended the meeting and gave her opinion, saying the council needed “guidelines” on building heights so everyone knew what to expect in different parts of London.

“There have been a number of past applications…where we do these one-off operations and change heights,” she said.

Critics, including some city council members, say the London Plan, first introduced in 2016, is outdated, largely because the city’s population growth has outpaced the plan’s expectations and the subsequent housing pressures the city faces.

City Hall’s approval of $74 million in federal housing acceleration funds in September 2023 also requires changes, including heights near transit.

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