You can’t miss the mess on Exeter Road.
Recently a chorus of complaints has grown louder about the state of the former St. Pierre Renovation Centre at 595 Exeter Rd. in London.
Smashed windows, broken doors, and wide open shipping bays have allowed a steady flow of trespassers into the building.
“Over the last month, maybe two months, there’s been a lot of homeless people or younger kids going in there breaking the windows and causing fires,” said Courtney Loucks, whose home overlooks the site.
The property around the building has become littered with large piles of construction debris and furniture.
The building at 595 Exeter Rd. and the adjacent Shamrock Industrial Park have a long and complex history with the City of London.
A staff report from 2015 speaks to efforts by owner Samuel John Shirley to clean up soil contamination and address unpaid taxes.
However, Shirley died in 2020 and according to his son, John Shirley Jr., the property remains part of the estate.
Shirley Jr. told CTV News that he is boarding up the windows and doors to prevent trespassing, but expects people will just break through the plywood.
He is also cleaning up this site but admits it’s a “huge job” with no firm timeline.
In the meantime, neighbours are growing impatient with the lack of progress.
“There’s kids around this neighbourhood and we’d just like it to be safe,” said Loucks.
She has her own ideas for the site, “Put it on the market, try to get somebody to spruce it up a little bit. Run a business out of there, or tear it down so that we’re not having these fires and ambulances and cops all over the place.”
Municipal by-law enforcement has opened a file about the property, and the city website shows that a property standards order was issued on Feb. 16.
The city has a number of enforcement tools that could eventually be used to achieve by-law compliance including financial penalties, charges, and demolition.
https://www.iheartradio.ca/ctv-news-content/neighbours-worry-long-time-eyesore-in-south-london-ont-becoming-magnet-for-crime-1.22111829
