A development plan application for the 21-hectare site in Delacombe, listed as 20 Stonepark Road, is now being advertised as part of the planning process.

The 191-page document proposes a 40-plot industrial subdivision on the land, which stretches just south from LaTrobe Street almost down to Whitelaw Avenue.

It lies just three kilometres from the CBD, a block south of Victoria Park, and is close to the old LaTrobe Street saleyards site, which is another area being considered for major developments.

If approved, it would also free up more land for development in an established area.

The land was last sold in October 2018 by Colliers International for an undisclosed sum - although real estate websites give it as $1.76 million.

Lauchlan Waddell of Colliers International said demand for industrial sites was strong in Ballarat, particularly with the strong manufacturing sector, and that COVID had increased interest in online retail storage and warehouses.

He said the site was not going to be a competitor for the giant 613-hectare Ballarat West Employment Zone, with take-up likely coming from private enterprise and small-scale operators.

"It's a different sort of end user it's appealing to," he said. "BWEZ is large-scale manufacturers - there are some incentives from state government to attract those occupiers."

According to the development plan for the Stonepark Road site, the five largest lots would be established in the east and the south of the site.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The largest lot size would be 26,700 square metres, with the smallest shown as 1,800 square metres.

At this stage, the plan is simply for subdivision with no firm development proposals yet on the table

The block is in an existing industrial zone, with a number of commercial and industrial businesses already established in the area. Another industrial lot to the west of the site has not yet been developed, in contrast to areas to the south, east and north of the land.

Planning documents suggest the site has been historically used in the past for rural farming/grazing purposes.

The land is described as "largely cleared with no trees or vegetation present onsite."

The application notes the presence of six Yarra gums on the site, but says the likelihood of vulnerable or endangered fauna on the site was "low".

Bonshaw Creek runs through the site from the north west to the south-east, with the flood risk dealt with at length in the development plan.

At the south-east corner of the site, a retarding basin would be installed according to the planning documents. There would be another drainage reserve to the west of the site. An overhead powerline runs through it, while there is a single access road, Stonepark Road, which would be extended to access all the new plots.

The application was made on behalf of Stonepark Property Ltd.

If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.