Tillsonburg Town Council is moving ahead with a plan to gather public input on two connected projects that could reshape where residents play ball and where new homes might go. At the June 22, 2026 council meeting, the council directed staff to launch a wide-ranging community engagement process for a proposed sportsfield complex at 67 Mall Road and for the future of the existing Annandale Diamonds site at 160 Concession Street East.
The Town of Tillsonburg has already set aside $6.284 million for land acquisition, studies and approvals related to the new complex. The idea is that selling the Annandale property down the road would help cover those costs. Officials point to the Town’s Recreation Master Plan, which found Tillsonburg is short one hardball diamond and four softball diamonds. As the community grows, demand could eventually call for eight diamonds.
The new 36-acre site on Mall Road would be built in three phases. Early concept drawings show four baseball or softball diamonds, three soccer fields and courts for tennis and pickleball. The Town bought the land in April 2024 after residents in the 2022 municipal election said recreation spaces and protecting green areas were high priorities.
The Annandale Diamonds have served local players for years, but the current site is hemmed in. A staff report calls it “physically constrained,” with little room to add fields or expand programs. Installing lights could squeeze in more games but would also bring more evening traffic, noise and light into the surrounding neighbourhood.
Now, the Town wants to hear from the people who live here before any final decisions are made. Over the coming months, the engagement process will include public information centres, meetings with advisory committees and sports groups, and an online survey. The feedback will help shape proposals for the Mall Road complex and for what might replace the aging diamonds on Concession Street. Possibilities for Annandale include housing, more greenspace, trail connections and other uses that fit the neighbourhood.
Mayor Deb Gilvesy and council have stressed that nothing is set in stone. The coming conversations are meant to give residents a real say on how their community grows, both on the field and in the neighbourhoods around it.
