VACANT church-owned land in Mt Clear could be re-zoned for housing.The 4.5 hectare parcel of land borders Emmaus Primary School on Geelong Road. It is part of a larger holding of 20 hectares which has been owned by the Ballarat Catholic Diocese for the past 50 years.At present, the 4.5 hectares is zoned for farmland, while the rest of the holding is zoned residential one.Ballarat City Council this week voted to seek approval from the planning minister to prepare an amendment to re-zone the 4.5 hectares as residential one. Ballarat Catholic Diocese business manager Mark Bromley said pending the land being re-zoned, the church would look to develop it for housing.How soon that happens would only be decided after a decision was received from the minister."(But) I imagine it would be reasonably soon because of the demand for land in Ballarat," Mr Bromley said. "We're very pleased they've sent it off to the minister and we'll now let the rest of the process run its course."A report considered by the council said the land had been historically used for stock grazing and was being increasingly affected by gorse.In 2005, an independent panel which considered the Canadian Valley Outline Development Plan, said the future of the land was urban.The panel said: "We do not think that the land can be considered 'rural' in any real sense. It simply lacks the feeling of space and rural land use that typifies 'rural' land."The amendment will be placed on exhibition for public comment.