Chatham-Kent is moving ahead with plans to prevent future development from causing more erosion along Talbot Trail.
On Monday, council approved staff recommendations to reconfigure and rezone 28 lots on vacant farmland on Talbot Trail and Cedar Road in the community of Romney into 14 larger lots with double the frontage to prevent development on the other lots closer to Lake Erie that are at risk of erosion.
The setbacks for the parcels of land will now be 95.3 metres from Lake Erie for any new development, based on the 35 metreS per 100 years erosion rate currently used by the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority.
Administration said the plan is to finally address "required development setbacks" from Lake Erie to permit future development.
"The application proposes to deal with existing development rights over these lands in a manner that results in the potential for development that is more appropriate for the subject lands and the surrounding area," the staff report stated. "By consolidating these lands and reducing the overall number of lots, the result is the potential for new development that limits the overall impact to the community moving forward. Further, it establishes new regulations to ensure current development standards can be achieved."
The land has been slated for residential development since the 1970s but has been used as agricultural land.