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WOODSTOCK – Massive population growth and land shortages loom if a recent report commissioned by the County of Oxford is an indication of what’s to come.

According to a population growth report that will be presented to county council on Wednesday, growth could soar by as much as 41 per cent in Oxford County in the next 30 years.

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The City of Woodstock is expected to outpace even that, with 56 per cent growth for the same period between 2016 and 2046.

The forecasts note local municipalities will likely need extra land to accommodate their growing populations. Land reserves for some of the largest growing municipalities, such as Woodstock, Tillsonburg and Ingersoll, are currently low, so cities will likely need to look at boundary expansions to accommodate more jobs and more people, said Oxford County’s manager of planning and policy, Paul Michiels.

“We may need more study to figure out where (growth) would best be accommodated, through settlement boundary expansions for instance,” Michiels said.