A group of residents is asking the Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh to take control of a private access road that is no longer being maintained by the owner.
Representatives from the Hunters Beach Lakeshore Residential Community presented to ACW council this week, asking for the town to begin expropriation of Market Road, the lone access way to the community from Hwy 21.
The Right of Way was never made public in the original draft subdivision plan, and ever since that land was sold to new ownership, residents of the 30-plus properties say the there's no maintenance to the road.
Community member George Dark said its unsustainable.
"The bigger problem is that service vehicles will no longer come down the road to service our septic systems. Contractors, Meals on Wheels, which one of the residents requires, will no longer come down the road," Dark told council. "This is an incredibly destabilizing effect. Leaving it in private hands, we would consider fundamentally a mistake in 1954. You wouldn't allow it today."
According to the group, the community began as cottages for the Hunter Brothers — who originally owned the land — and their friends. Once they began selling lakefront properties to other parties, the Township of Colbourn required them to register a draft plan of subdivision in the 1950s. Though there were plans for two access roads, only one was every made, and Market Road was never transferred to public ownership.
The farmland it's on was eventually sold and now the land is used for an industrial complex.
Residents allege that not only does the current owner not maintain the road, they don't allow community members to contract maintenance work either. They said during the winter, snow drifting from trailers parked on the road made it impassable.
Along with the delegation, a petition with the signatures of the 44 residents was also submitted to council.
Dark said the current set-up doesn't align with the Township's Official Plan.
"Privately-owned access roads to communities don't match your policy today," he said. "If you look at your Official Plan, your Zoning By-law, any lot is required to be on a public road. You can't make a new one, unless you have a public road. And the reason is completely obvious, it avoids the situation we've been living through for the past 30 years."
Following the presentation, council asked for a staff report on the matter. Because the matter involves the acquisition of land, it will likely return to council during closed session.