The City of Ballarat says a proposed development and rezoning of the former quarry site in Miners Rest will not go forward while planning and strategic frameworks are being considered.
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Melbourne developer Resi Ventures on Thursday announced it had 'secured the first major regional subdivision since the Victorian Government's proposed 50 per cent "windfall tax" was announced in May 2021.'
"The $200 million project will bring a hive of activity and many jobs to the Ballarat community," a Resi Ventures release stated.
"The unique former Boral quarry site with two large lakes in the middle, will be a key feature for the future residents of the estate. Over 40 per cent of the site will be left as open space with key green links that the local community will be able to use for years to come."
However, as reported in The Courier yesterday, the site is subject to several overlays, and environmental and heritage areas of sensitivity. It is also directly under the Ballarat Airport flightpath.
City of Ballarat director of development and growth Natalie Robertson says it's early days for the proposal.
"The Miners Rest quarry is currently in the Farming Zone," Ms Robertson told The Courier in a statement.
"Requests from the owners' consultants to rezone land have not progressed while Council considers implications arising from Airport Masterplan and state strategic planning requirements. The Miners Rest Township Plan approved by Council recognises the site as a potential growth area, subject to further analysis of potential aircraft noise against the National Airports Safeguarding Framework.
READ MORE:
- Melbourne's Resi Venture buys up big - and deep - in plans for Miners Rest
- Trespassers warned to keep out of the Miners Rest quarry site
- Melbourne company Resi-Ventures asks eight questions at Ballarat City Council meeting
- These two developers talk about where Ballarat is heading, and what we need to do to prepare
"Council is continuing to liaise with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning as part of a City-wide strategic approach to growth and development in the next 5-10 years."
The Miners Rest quarries, which supplied bluestone to the growing city from its earliest days, have had their share of woes in the past. A letter to The Star in 1860 complained the new pits had destroyed the Miners Rest market site, which were 'dangerous to man and beast'.
"They are continually blasting the rock, the fragments of which fly about in all directions," the author Volo Non Valeo (Willing But Unable) wrote.
"It is not only dangerous to those living near, but to passersby, as the pieces often fly to the distance of a hundred yards."
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