Request for a Minister's Zoning Order for Industrial Business Park in the City of London

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is consulting on a request for a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) received from Dancor Construction Limited to facilitate an industrial park on lands at 4423 Highbury Avenue South in the City of London. This MZO request is supported by a resolution passed by the City of London Council on March 4, 2025. 

An MZO, made pursuant to section  47 of the Planning Act, regulates the use of land and the erection, location and use of any building or structure on the land, and prevails over the existing municipal zoning by-law to the extent there is any conflict.

The subject lands are situated approximately 1.6 kilometres  south of Highway 401 West and consist of a single vacant parcel with an approximate lot area of 37.72 hectares, and with frontage along Highbury Avenue South, Dingman Drive, and Green Valley Road. See link to location map below. 

The subject lands are currently located outside of the City of London Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) and are designated as “Farmland Place Type” in the city’s official plan, and zoned “Agricultural” which reflect the current land use. The subject lands are divided by Dingman Creek – a natural heritage corridor which transects the southern portion of the site running from east to west. No development is proposed to occur within the Dingman Creek corridor, which is proposed to be dedicated to the local Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA). 

The requested MZO seeks to permit the development of the subject lands in three phases. Phase 1 and 2 involves the construction of eight (8) eight industrial and employment use buildings totaling approximately (76,000 m2) on the 23.1-hectare portion of the site north of Dingman Creek which is proposed to be zoned “General Industrial”. A site plan has been prepared for phases 1 and 2. At this time, there are no explicit development plans for phase 3 which comprise the portion of the site south of Dingman Creek, that is proposed to be zoned “Light Industrial”. The proposed development is anticipated to create approximately 1,300 new full-time jobs. 

To help ensure decisions are made in a transparent manner and support government priorities, the Ministry is seeking feedback on whether this MZO request should be considered and any additional information that may help inform a decision. In particular, any potential environmental risks, financial impacts on the municipality or implications for other approved developments and how these can be mitigated.

This proposal for an MZO is posted for consultation as a “regulation” notice type due to webform template formatting limitations. However, as a result of amendments to section 47 of the Planning Act by Bill 60, Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, which received Royal Assent on November 27, 2025, the proposed MZO, if made, will not be a regulation and will not be filed with the Registrar of Regulations.