London ranks third in national benchmarking study

London ranked third overall and was the only Ontario municipality in the top half of the results in the recently released Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) Municipal Benchmarking Study. 

The CHBA released its 2024 Municipal Benchmarking Study last week. The study compares 23 Canadian municipalities, examining how processes, approvals timelines, and charges and fees contribute to housing affordability and supply issues in major housing markets across Canada. The report reads as a report card to show which municipal governments are leading in the three key pillars of the study—planning system features, approval timelines and government charges.

“London’s strong performance in this national study is a testament to the hard work and commitment of City staff, Council and our community partners,” said Mayor Josh Morgan. We’re proud of this achievement and we remain committed to building on the momentum to ensure London continues to be a leader in creating more housing options for everyone.” 

Report highlights: 

• London was one of the top-performing municipalities and the best performing Ontario municipality. 
• London had the fastest site plan and development permit approval timelines in Canada.
• London saw a major improvement in residential development approval timelines. In the 2022 study, it took an average of 10 months for timeline approval. The 2024 study saw that improve to an average of 4.6 months. This was among the most improved municipalities in Canada, highlighting a more efficient process in handling residential development applications. 
• London had the lowest low-rise and high-rise development fees in Ontario.
• The report highlighted Canada-wide planning achievements, including changes to The London Plan and zoning by-law amendments, which now permit up to four units per property as-of-right citywide.

“Last year, we prioritized a number of key initiatives to accelerate London's housing supply, said Scott Mathers, Deputy City Manager of Housing and Community Growth. “We’re extremely pleased to see our efforts to implement changes and make improvements are reflected in these positive performance results in addition to helping us meet our critical housing needs.”  

Visit Municipal Benchmarking - Canadian Home Builders' Association to learn more.