Commercial and residential developer The Macneil Group purchased the St Andrew's Presbyterian Kirk at the end of April 2018, entering into a conditional agreement with the Ballarat Central Uniting Church for the land. 

The developer is now in conversations with City of Ballarat to discuss a potential change in zoning, as the land the church sits on at the corner of Sturt and Dawson streets is considered 'special use' for religious and educational activities only.

The Macneil Group director Paul McCuskey said that conversations with council about rezoning continue, and these changes will need to be made before any plans can be drafted. 

"We've been through a public consultation process ... and gathered all our consultants reports. We're now speaking to council about the best way forward," he said. 

READ MORE St Andrew's Kirk sells to developer 

Mr McCuskey said the site was "very complex in the planning sense", with discussions also under way with Heritage Victoria and the state government. Following any potential change to the land's zoning, more approval would be needed to change land use again, depending on what the future development is.

The developer's hope is for adaptive reuse of the church building, as well as parallel redevelopment of the rest of the site.

"It'll take some time resolve (approvals) to get it to a position where we can present something to the community," Mr McCusky said. 

The building had been on the market since 2013, when it was passed in at auction for $2.5 million. The sale was part of a bid by the Uniting Church to recover the multi-million dollar debts from the collapse of Acacia College in 2013. 

The bluestone Kirk was constructed in 1864, with the gothic tower and spire added in 1884. The building is heritage listed for architectural, historical and aesthetic significance.