Port Stanley scraps beach parking lot expansion plan after locals said no to paving dunes

Isha Bhargava · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 7:35 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

The Municipality of Central Elgin volition not grow a parking batch connected 1 of Port Stanley's smaller beaches aft galore residents expressed concerns for however the improvement would jeopardize the area's information and earthy environment. 

At a peculiar fund gathering connected Monday, assemblage members pushed backmost connected the connection to add much parking spaces at Erie Rest Beach, which sits westbound of the town's fashionable tourer beaches, because the process would pave implicit dunes that protect the lake's shoreline and forestall against flooding and precocious waves. 

The summation would person outgo $92,000 but aft proceeding from residents, assembly decided to region the connection from its 2025 budget, Mayor Andrew Sloan told CBC News aft the meeting.  

"We got a batch of large feedback from the assemblage of Port Stanley and I deliberation the cons connected this outweighed the pros and immoderate large points were made. We asked the nationalist for feedback and they definite gave it to us, so I deliberation it's a bully time for Central Elgin," helium said. 

A unit study recommended the municipality should "significantly increase" the existent 15 parking spaces astatine the formation to 56, plus two accessible spaces, to accommodate much visitors and code a increasing interest of amerciable parking.  

It's the 2nd clip the municipality considered this parking batch expansion. It was archetypal approved successful Central Elgin's 2018 superior fund and was intended to physique 100 parking spots but was aboriginal reduced to 56 aft an archetypal shoreline assessment. In 2020, a councillor astatine the clip asked assembly to rescind their determination and the task didn't determination forward. 

It was being explored again due to the fact that unit noticed an increase in parking-related complaints by Erie Rest Beach implicit the past 2 summers. Staff estimated the parking batch enlargement would bring an extra $20,000 to $30,000 successful paid parking gross each year.

Those who unrecorded by the formation warned it doesn't person the capableness oregon lifeguards to grip an influx of visitors and roads astir it aren't designed for a dense travel of traffic, said James MacLean, who has lived on the formation since 2013.

"It's a tiny earthy sandy area, it's not what you would see a tourer formation similar Main Beach and Little Beach. Those are fantastic beaches with amenities and ample parking," said MacLean. 

"[Erie Rest Beach] is successful the mediate of a residential neighbourhood that has nary sidewalks, fto unsocial shoulders, and has precise constrictive roads with blindspots. It's a earthy country that's not groomed and it shouldn't ever be."

Jodi Burness lives 500 metres eastbound of the formation and told assembly that much vehicles successful the country volition origin information concerns similar speeding and dense postulation connected an already poorly-maintained road.  

"To mitigate what is simply a perceived postulation oregon parking interest by creating and inviting much postulation is counter-intuitive. That roadworthy is truthful constrictive that hardly 2 cars tin get by and erstwhile you adhd vehicles that parkland inappropriately, you're exacerbating an existing problem," she said.

Lori Hisson visits the formation aggregate times a week and though she agrees there's not capable parking, said it shouldn't travel astatine the outgo of ecological protection. 

"We could surely usage much parking but the information that dunes sorb the interaction of precocious waves and instrumentality attraction of the flooding is not thing we privation to lose," she said. 

MacLean said Port Stanley locals invited increasing tourism successful the formation municipality but they besides privation its earthy areas preserved. 

"It's a earthy habitat, it should stay that way. There's wildlife and vegetation unsocial to the country that helps sphere the country from erosion and provides situation truthful it should beryllium protected," helium said. "This isn't each astir convenience, we request to sphere the earthy country for our future."

Sloan said the municipality has parking plans and bylaw enforcement to marque impermanent parking spots successful different areas arsenic the engaged summertime play approaches.