Southside Construction has passed the first hurdle to build houses at Hillsboro Road and Townsend Line.

The land is on the very edge of Plympton-Wyoming and has been farmed for decades. But there was some confusion about what the owners could actually build on the land.

The land was designated for agriculture in the past but in 1988, the then Plympton Township council zoned it residential.

Plympton-Wyoming’s zoning bylaw and Lambton’s official plan also recognize it as residential land – but the official plan of Plympton-Wyoming still listed it as agriculture.

Southside Construction, which owns the land, wants to build single family homes on the four acre parcel in the future and had to have the official plan changed first.

And while planning officials say it is clear the land was designated for housing, some neighbours voiced concern about placing housing on prime agricultural land.

“Once prime agricultural land is gone, it can’t be recreated. There are other parts of Ontario that can support farming – but the trade-off isn’t equal,” said neighbour Adam Dawson in a letter to council.

“Why are we allowing the development of active farmland? Developers are chipping away at a resource that we use to grow food. It’s not easy to convert back to farmland,” added Matt MacGillivray.

Mayor Gary Atkinson says once planners explained the developer is planning single family homes, it seemed to ease many of the fears and council approved the change to the Official Plan.