Stratford, ON (May 20, 2010) — A provincial board in Ontario has upheld the city of Stratford's decision to reject proposals for a cluster of new stores, including a Wal-Mart supercenter, ruling that the proposals "are neither in the public interest nor represent good planning."

Stratford is a historic city of about 30,000 people known for its annual Shakespeare festival.

City officials based their rejection on the fact that the development would contradict Stratford's planning policies, which attempt to limit sprawl and call for new retail to go into either the downtown or an established neighborhood business district on the west side of town.

The developer, Smart Centres, appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board. The OMB ruled strongly in favor of the city.

The decision represented a long-sought win for the grassroots group Stratford First, which has been fighting the development for seven years.

City officials said they will petition the board to require the developer to pay the $1 million in legal fees the city incurred in defending its decision.

Update: (June 2, 2010) — Wal-Mart and Smart Centres chose not to appeal the OMB's ruling and have walked away from Stratford.

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