In recent weeks this newspaper has shone the light on the many issues the city faces at the moment and perhaps more importantly, in decades to come.

Whether it is congested roads, the lack of public transport or the ever-expanding sea of houses out to the west, it seems unbridled growth is everywhere you turn.

But is it about time we saw more major projects appearing in the city itself, rather than just another paddock turned into a housing estate?

In this weekend's edition of The Courier we have revealed plans to build a 66-lot apartment complex at a dormant site on Lyons Street South.

To put that in context, the current Nightingale construction on Davey Street will form 27 apartments.

If approved, the new project will significantly alter the aesthetics of the Ballarat CBD.

But, how long can we expect Ballarat to remain exactly as it is?

There is going to come a point in time when we start building skyward and 'stop the spread', to borrow a phrase that has become all to common in another context these days.

Great cities of the world are forever changing and we currently find our population growing at an extreme rate.

And, unless we want the swathe of houses to simply continue to encroach on more green fields, it is time to look at changing the CBD.

Let's not forget, change and progress is key for our city to thrive - and we are very much going to see that come to life tomorrow afternoon when the AFL comes to town.

Had it not been for a bold decision years ago to develop Northern Oval (now known as Mars Stadium), we wouldn't find ourselves in the position to be thrown an AFL game out of nowhere.

The fact we have a venue in the city ready to be handed an AFL match at the drop of hat shows just how far we have come as a city. Let's make the most of it.

- Pat Nolan, deputy editor