'Transformational' plan for Highbury and Oxford up for council committee approval

A London city council committee is expected to give approval Wednesday on the city's largest-ever development application: A plan for a massive makeover of the London Psychiatric Hospital lands in a project the local ward councillor calls "transformational." 

"It's really a city unto a city," said Ward 3 Coun. Peter Cuddy about Old Oak Properties' plan for the 141-acre site at Oxford Street West and Highbury Avenue North. 

"That whole area has been looking for something to kickstart it for many years, and this will provide housing for people who are moving to the city," said Cuddy.

The 20-year project will bring high-density towers along Highbury and Oxford. The tallest, which is set to be at the intersection, will be 32 storeys tall. The building heights will taper toward the eastern and southern edges of the property, which are bordered by Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail lines.

In total, the site is slated to have 10 residential towers higher than 20-storeys — a massive change for what is now an empty open space in east London.

Four heritage buildings that were part of the former psychiatric hospital will be kept, as well as a tree canopy located toward the centre of the site, which will also include park space and cycling paths. 

The main selling point for Cuddy is the residential units the development will bring: 8,400 units in total, enough to house about 15,000 residents.

"These are badly needed," he said. "It's no secret that we're bursting at the seams with so many people coming to London." 

The plan also includes a mix of businesses on the ground floors of the towers. 

In addition to the number of residential units, it's their location Cuddy sees as key. The East London Link bus rapid transit line will run along Highbury at the western edge of the property. The line, which is currently under construction, will have two stops along Highbury between Dundas and Oxford Street.

Locating high-density residential developments along rapid transit lines is considered a best practice in planning circles. It's also a key part of the London Plan, the city's guiding planning document. 

"Fanshawe students who live there can get on the bus and be downtown in 10 minutes," said Cuddy.

The development will be voted on at the Tuesday meeting for council's planning committee. It's a public participation meeting, which means members of the public can have their say. 

Cuddy is predicting a unanimous vote from councillors. 

One of the few voices of caution in the consultation process came from Jacob Peretz, president of JDA investments. He owns an industrial property located just east of the development.

That property houses NexGen Polymers, a plastics distribution company served by rail transportation. Peretz worries that the noise coming from the plant may trigger complaints to the city from residents. At the plant, plastic pellets must be vacuumed out of the railcars for storage and this, along with the shunting of the cars, creates noise. 

"We use blowers and vacuums, and the train is not a quiet machine," said Peretz.

A noise report commissioned by the developer recommends that buildings be located away from the plastics plant, along with other measures to minimize noise. It also recommends that new residents of the development be warned about the potential of noise from the plant. 

If approved, construction is slated to start next year. The complete build will take up to 20 years.