New plan for property originally intended for an IKEA store in south London, Ont.

What will happen to the former planned IKEA site? More than three years after IKEA scrapped plans for a south London store, city council will consider a new plan. Daryl Newcombe reports.

More than three years after IKEA Canada scrapped plans to build a furniture store in south London, a new vision for the property is going before city council for consideration.

A new Costco warehouse and gas station is the only development to take place on the vast retail property south of Highway 401 along Roxburgh Road and Dingman Drive.

The Planning and Environment Committee (PEC) will consider a request by Goal Ventures Incorporated to, “broaden the range of permitted uses on the subject site to include light industrial uses such as warehousing/distribution, self-storage and craft brewery along with other lower impact light industrial uses.”

A revised development plan shows the west side of the property labelled as future employment lands and the remaining land (including the former Costco building), forming a smaller retail footprint than originally envisioned.

Ward Coun. Elizabeth Peloza said the prominent location shouldn’t be home to one of the possible light-industrial uses, and told CTV News London, “I believe this site has a lot of economic potential and is a prime location [at] the gateway of London, and I would like to see a better use than self-storage.”

A report by city staff supports adding additional uses, but “requested light industrial uses with large outdoor or heavy vehicle storage components or uses that emit noise, vibration or dust are not being recommended.”

During the summer of 2013, city council was deeply divided over whether south London needed so much additional retail space.

After an appeal to the provincial Ontario Municipal Board, the current development plan went ahead.

The development required removing a forested wetland which was ultimately replaced with a man-made wetland in coordination with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

However, with the exception of the new Costco in 2023, most commercial development over the past decade in southwest London has occurred along Wonderland Road.

“We’ve all been through a pandemic. We’ve seen commercial habits change, and now light industrial is the proposed use for that site [on Dingman Drive], hopefully creating jobs in the area,” said Peloza.

The Planning and Environment Committee will consider adding light industrial uses to the property at a meeting on Jan. 9.