More modern housing will also help attract younger professionals to our town.

We need modern housing of all different types and we should follow our planning scheme to modernise our city and growing suburbs.

We need to stop vetoing or deferring property builds because certain people in certain areas don't want their suburbs to change.

A progressive city is a bustling city and modernised builds and build styles are required to attract doctors, nurses, allied health professionals as well as their families and attract investors to our city.

We should keep our planning scheme rather than change it to fit a select few.

Kim Aspland, Mount Clear.

There is an urgent need for Ballarat's Planning Scheme to be revised.

Its 1181 pages with multiple references to other documents and maps are currently far too complex.

Much of Ballarat's residential areas are classified as either General Residential Zone or Residential Growth Zone. But there are many other zones - Township Zone, Mixed use Zone, Low Density Residential Zone, Neighbourhood Residential Zone.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Each zone has its own rules regarding which developments require planning permits, which uses are permitted or prohibited, mandatory or discretionary height limits, minimum garden areas, minimum subdivision sizes etc and decision guidelines which planners should consider when deciding upon a permit.

In addition, some areas are also covered by Heritage and/or Design and Development Overlays.

The scheme references various documents and strategy plans adopted by council over many years and which should be considered when decisions are made.

The recent approval of a six-storey hotel in Doveton Street revealed confusion within council and council officers about which document currently represented council's approved policy for the area.

How are the planning zones determined? Why is one property zoned General Residential and a similar property over the back fence zoned Residential Growth?

Council must ensure there is wide community involvement right from the start in determining how people want their city to evolve, what are the appropriate zonings for each area and what limits or encouragements should apply to developments in each zone.

Stuart Kelly, Ballarat West.