Council’s ‘Roundabout Landscape Guidelines 2016’ document was approved at a meeting on Wednesday as a measure to identify potential issues with future projects in wake of the recent controversial ‘harmony’ roundabout saga.

The referral section of the guideline states that any roundabout installation proposed beyond “the planting of a roundabout” would be referred to comment and advice from the Urban Design expert within the City of Ballarat, The Heritage Advisory Committee (if the roundabout is in a heritage area), the Public Art Advisory Committee and the Disability Advisory Committee.

Local residents’ chief concern with the harmony roundabout placed on the corner of Mair and Ripon streets was that they did not receive prior consultation, while they also questioned operational decision making in placing the brightly coloured works in the midst of a heritage overlay area.

The consultation section of the document states that “where a roundabout installation or landscape treatment is proposed beyond planting all households and/or commercial premises within the immediate vicinity of the roundabout shall be considered.”

Cr Hudson said he expects the new consultation process to help properly identify concerns in the lead-up to future works.

“In terms of location for future treatments, it allows for consultation with the neighborhood,” he said.

“It actually doesn’t stop the creative activity of staff to be able create new designs.”

However, deputy mayor Belinda Coates was more sceptical on the usefulness of the guideline.

While reluctant to discuss the document, she said it was “open to subjectivity”.

“Roadways aren’t covered by heritage guidelines,” Cr Coates said.

“In reality it doesn’t remove the possibility of controversy. It’s still an operational decision.”

Council’s city services general manager Terry Demeo said that consultation would include “structural elements”.