A Miners Rest Township Plan signed off by councillors at the end of 2019 remains on hold.
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The status of the plan - which was undertaken in the years before to set out clear guidelines for how the area should evolve - has been brought up at consecutive council meetings.
It came up again at town hall last Wednesday. A Miners Rest landowner asked if there was any correspondence with the Department of Land Water and Planning (DELWP) the council could share about the process for putting the planning scheme amendments outlined in the document into action.
The recommendation signed off by councillors included proposed changes to the minimum subdivision area in Neighbourhood Residential Zones, as well as specifying the maximum coverage buildings should have in the zone.
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At the council meeting, the City of Ballarat's director of development and growth Natalie Robertson said a state government guideline received in late 2019 had shifted priorities.
She said: "A practice note provided to councils that any township plans should be... a whole of municipality consideration."
"Our housing strategy will be informed by the documentation we have received for the Miners Rest Township Plan.
"It will be valuable... in implementing the recommendations out of that into the housing strategy. "
A DELWP spokesperson sent the following statement.
"Ballarat City Council has not yet sought authorisation from the Minister for Planning to amend the planning scheme to implement the Miners Rest Township Plan."
The spokesperson said there were "no formal timeframes" for councils to put in requests for a planning scheme amendment.
"DELWP has discussed implementation options with council officers including giving consideration to the specific character and zoning proposals contained in the township plan and Ballarat's forthcoming housing strategy."
Recently the City of Ballarat went out to residents looking for feedback on neighbourhood character in Ballarat and input into an overall housing strategy.
In April, employees of a Melbourne-based developer put eight written questions to council staff, which were read out at town hall.
While one councillor criticised the tactics the developer used, it was the first time the status of the township plan had been aired at a council meeting.
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