A site was secured for the suburb’s first school last year after property development company Integra signed a contract with the Catholic Education Offtice Ballarat (CEOB) and the Cathedral Parish.

The CEOB is moving forward to build a new school with a community consultation evening next week.

However, there are no immediate plans for a public school at Lucas.

Department of Education spokesperson Simon Craig said the department did not own a site for a school in the area but had worked with the City of Ballarat to identify a possible site.

“The department plans for school provision through the regular monitoring of residential growth, demographic change and enrolment trends across Victoria,” Mr Craig said.

“The department will continue to work with the City of Ballarat to ensure that there is adequate school provision in the future.”

The suburb’s first school will accommodate about 350 pupils from prep to grade six and service families in Lucas and surrounding communities, including Cardigan.

CEOB planning, risk and infrastructure manager Brad Carr said the new catholic school would meet the needs of families seeking a Catholic education in the Lucas area.

“It’s an exciting time for Ballarat in general, the growth area and Lucas. This is our first stage in consulting the community,” Mr Carr said.

The CEOB will work closely with existing Catholic school communities, potential families, the developer and funding sources to determine when the new school will open.

Catholic Education for the Diocese of Ballarat director Audrey Brown said it was important there was a Catholic school in the growing regional area of Lucas.

“Catholic education has been part of the Ballarat story since the goldfields. Continuing the tradition of faith-based education in partnership with families in the Lucas area is a natural next step for us,” Ms Brown said.

Integra land development manager Nick Grylewicz said education providers had shown a lot of interest after the company integrated the education and learning hub into the Lucas masterplan.

He said the education and learning hub would include an independently run childcare facility.

The community consultation evening is open to anyone interested and will be held on Tuesday, July 21, from 7pm to 8pm at the Ballarat Golf Club. For more information contact the CEOB 5337 7135.