Full details of the long-awaited plans to light up the Steve Moneghetti track around Lake Wendouree have been released.
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Documents are now being advertised on the City of Ballarat's planning website after the council confirmed they had been lodged in March.
It is the latest stage in a long-running process to install lighting around the lake, a move which was backed with funding pledges by both political parties ahead of the 2018 state election.
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Victoria Park lighting was included in that commitment but is not part of this application.
The planners' report outlines how the lake lighting was widely supported in a 2017 masterplan, while also showing how feedback has been more mixed as the project has evolved.
The planning application describes how 225 five-metre high poles would be placed at intervals of around 25 to 30 metres around the track if plans are approved.
The lights would turn on and off automatically depending on the time of year, illuminating at 5.30am or when triggered by a light sensor. After dark, the lights would stay illuminated until 11pm under current plans.
Each pole would have concrete footings and an electrical connection, with cabling installed underground along the length of the track to power the lights.
The cables would be installed to a depth of 60 centimetres with directional drilling to ensure "tree protection zones and root systems would be protected".
The planning report, which was prepared by professional services company GHD, says the distance between the poles would be "dependent on the tree canopy and existing environment".
LED lighting would be in rectangular light fixtures, with the proposed colour described as "moss green".
The planning application says the bulbs would face down "to minimise light spillage".
Seven electrical supply pillars would also be put in place at intervals around the lake.
The plans lodged include a snapshot of the genesis of the lake lighting project, which was backed by 82 per cent of people who contributed to the Lake Wendouree Masterplan released in 2017.
More recently, a community consultation that collected 150 responses showed 45 per cent supporting the project, and 46 per cent against, with the remaining views unstated.
Feedback included some saying the lighting was needed and would increase safety, while others expressed concerns about the impact to the natural environment, as well as the cost and design.
A heritage report prepared by John Briggs Architect and Heritage Consultant is included in the application. It said the introduction of the lights "need have no impact upon the appreciation of the heritage character, appearance and significance".
The documents suggest that use of the area has increased significantly in recent years, with the number of people using the track rising by 35.8 per cent since February 2019.
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Trial lights - with a style described as "contemporary and minimal" - were installed over summer, prompting 64 submissions in the subsequent consultation.
Planning documents describe feedback as a "mixture of positive, neutral and negative responses" but do not break down the exact details of how many people supported the designs.
While the lake lighting project can technically be approved by planning officers, its high public profile mean the plans will probably go before councillors.
This is likely to happen at a council meeting in May or June this year once responses to the application have been received and a council officer recommendation made.
The speed of the implementation - and if it happens at all - will depend on whether it is approved, and if it is taken to another stage of the planning process at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
The lake lighting project is being funded by a state government grant of $2.5 million.
- See eservices.ballarat.vic.gov.au to comment (application PLP/2021/158). Search applications on advertising in the general enquiry section.
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WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE PLANS? SHARE YOUR VIEWS BELOW