Milton’s Town Council recently approved the next step of the Britannia Secondary Plan.
A Master Environmental Servicing Plan was approved by Council on Monday. It’s one step in a long process. The Britannia Secondary Plan, if completed, would build homes on roughly 1040 hectares in the south-end of Milton (Ward 4).
The Regional Councillor for Ward 4, Zeeshan Hamid, says the Town is trying to balance in-town development with the more rural areas.
He adds that the plan for the south-end of Milton continues to be to keep a buffer of farmland around Milton. That way, nature remains an aspect of Milton, even as the town grows to 200,000-300,000 people.
Ward 3 & 4 are still very new areas in terms of development and housing. Homes are currently being built across neighbourhoods south of Derry Road. A lot of people have expressed concerns to Hamid regarding not knowing that development was continuing in those areas. He says these plans have been in works for years, likely prior to when the residents purchased their home. His biggest recommendation for new residents, or people looking to purchase a home in Milton, is to contact Town Hall and look at the Town’s plans for the area. That will give you the best idea of what to expect in terms of development in the coming years.
With this constant development, Councillor Hamid has one major concern: schools.
A new school was recently announced for the Britannia Road area. Councillor Hamid says it’s about three-to-five years too late. His best example for why it’s too late is that St. Francis Xavier Catholic Secondary School has 50-60 portables. According to Hamid, that is too many portables crammed into a parking lot.
Another major potential project that may be developed in Ward 4 is the controversial CN Rail Intermodal Hub. Some people have suggested turning the surrounding into a more industrial area to make the Hub a better fit. Councillor Hamid says the Town can’t change its plans to better fit a potential project. As for how they feel about CN trying their best to build in the area, he says it’s not personal – just don’t build on that specific plot of land.
As Councillor Hamid says the Britannia Secondary Plan is still years away from development. We will keep you up-to-date on each stage as it is processed through Council.
