A HIGH-DENSITY housing estate may be on the cards for the Victoria Street campus of Damascus College, which closes next month.An independent planning report has recommended the 5.2 hectare site be rezoned from Special Use 5 to a combination of Residential 1 and mixed use.Up to 90 blocks of land could be offered for sale as part of the site's redevelopment, while an 8000 square metre corner of the campus could be incorporated into commercial use.The Victoria Street site has been the home of Damascus College since 1995 when St Paul's, Sacred Heart and St Martin's the in the Pines merged. In June 1987, students and teachers from St Paul's College moved to the Victoria Street site, which was the Ballarat Children's Home.It closes as a school campus on December 3. All years 7 to 12 Damascus College students will be housed at the redeveloped Mt Clear campus of the school next year.Trevor Booth, director of Booth & Lee, the selling agent for the site, said the campus at the corner of Victoria and Stawell streets comprised an exposed potential development site of 5.188 hectares."The site currently consists of a variety of educational, administration and residential buildings associated with Damascus College," Mr Booth said."A planning report obtained by the college indicates that there is Ballarat City Council officer support for a re-zoning to a combination of Residential 1 and mixed use, which will accommodate both high-density residential use combined with commercial use on the Victoria Street frontage."Mr Booth said that it made sense for council to encourage this form of development given its commitment to "unlock the potential" of sites within built-up urban areas of the city with good access to amenities."High-density housing in that area would work in well with the retirement village at the rear of the site. There is a growing population in this area and a development like this would be ideal," Mr Booth said."The site is just over a kilometre from the central business district of Ballarat and has handy access to the Western Freeway."Potential buyers of the site have until 4pm on December 10 to lodge an expression of interest. Mr Booth said the eventual buyer could then apply to the council for rezoning of the site.
Damascus College site prime for houses
