A building ban that is in place for properties along Erie Shore Drive has been extended again, despite desperate calls for action from homeowners who have been plagued by flooding issues.
The one-year interim control bylaw, which was set to end on November 5, 2018, to freeze shoreline development by landowners will now extend until November 2019.
Last year, Chatham-Kent Councillor Trevor Thompson said he felt like the problem had been going around and around for 20 years.
“Now I feel like we’ve gone around and around for 21 years,” said Thompson.
Thompson did not support the extension of the interim bylaw but also chose to not speak on the issue at council Monday night.
“I don’t think me speaking on it would make any difference to the rest of council,” said Thompson. “I don’t see anything changing over the next year.”
Thompson said homeowners along the shoreline are frustrated with the lack of answers, and they feel like their property values are being affected by the freeze. The bylaw prohibits the landowners from doing any construction or alterations that would require a building permit, including rebuilding destroyed structures.
The municipality is taking part in a study that is closely examining the Lake Erie shoreline. The goal is to come up with a management plan because of increasing concerns about erosion and flooding as a result of high water levels and wave action.
Thompson said there are a lot of things that need to be done for a permanent solution, but the biggest issue is a need for funding.
“We need to find some provincial and federal help to deal with the shoreline protection,” said Thompson.
He also suggested part of the solution needs to include policies for best practices.
“We don’t need a scattershot approach,” said Thompson, explaining that where one homeowner may choose to construct a breakwall, another might choose to use a material like gravel to solve the problem.
“When you go out there you find that there is no rhyme or reason," he said.
Thompson said the shoreline needs attention not just in Chatham-Kent, but all along the shores of Lake Erie. Wheatley, Leamington and Elgin are other affected areas, along with shorelines of Lake Huron and Lake Ontario.
The next phase of the study, which has some funding from the federal government, will continue for the next 12 months.
