With the Commonwealth Games now under way in Birmingham, there's less than four years for regional Victoria to get ready.
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The City of Ballarat's wishlist for legacy projects from the Commonwealth Games could vastly improve transport facilities and housing, as well as promoting the city globally.
Last week, council released a document outlining its priorities, and most of them build on projects it's already lobbying for or have been detailed in various strategic plans - think station upgrades and airport runway works.
The trick will be getting as much done as possible on time and on budget, given how quickly costs are rising in the construction industry.
Ballarat's also one of four regional hubs that will all be asking for similar upgrades in the same timeframe.
The state government committed $2.6 billion for delivering the Games in its 2022-23 budget over four years, and there's a tight timeframe - the opening ceremony, at the MCG, is on March 17, and commissioning and warmup events could begin as much as six months earlier than that.
There are plenty of unanswered questions - sports, locations, what's the go with the former John Valves factory site near the stadium - but the council document sets out where the priorities are as planning really gets going.
ROADS
The legacy document calls for the duplication of Creswick Road to Mars Stadium.
Right now, it's a dual carriageway until it hits Howitt Street, where the informal parking outside the current showgrounds site begins.
Council is pushing for a "grand entrance" to the city, similar to Victoria Street, which would "address traffic capacity" - it would stretch from the Western Highway interchange.
Mayor Daniel Moloney said council had already suggested the upgrades, and the Games could fast-track the works.
"As much as possible, if we can bring forward some of this infrastructure, it will be a true legacy for the games, because it's infrastructure we already know we need," he said.
RAIL
There are two options council has presented for a new station in Ballarat, and each has its positives.
A station on the Wendouree line, south of Mars Stadium, would probably make it easier for trains to run back and forth, as there are already frequent services on this line.
Cr Moloney said that would be feasible, though it's some distance from the stadium - instead, the state government could look at an "events station" on the Maryborough line.
"We understand that V/Line won't want to run normal passenger services up that way unless they're going all the way through to Maryborough, however, that's permanent day-to-day operations for current and future residents," he said.
"I think there's an opportunity to think about simpler infrastructure, and there's potential for an event-based train station that doesn't need to have all the bells and whistles, it could be a single platform with myki machines and it doesn't have anything else, only for events and special services.
"That could be a really good interim or permanent solution for Mars Stadium, you don't need to worry about running trains up the line, or day-to-day passenger services, just special services to watch the Bulldogs or the Commonwealth Games or any other events."
Council is also calling for the Ballarat train station to be fully accessible for people with a disability, and a review of the bus network, as well as upgrading walking and cycling paths to the stadium.
HOUSING
The athlete village in Ballarat will need to have capacity for up to 2000 people, but there's no word on where it will be or what form it could take.
Council points out the waiting list for social housing is 2550 people.
"As a city we're still approaching the state government with the view that we want a good mix of housing - social, affordable, and private - because ultimately you need a good mix of people and a good mix of number of bedrooms in the dwellings," Cr Moloney said.
"We have a serious lack of diversity in the city, everything's three or four bedrooms, we'd like to see more one or two bedroom stock, because that helps us with a whole range of other issues down the track."
The Courier previously looked at a few options for the village location, from in-fill development as part of the Bakery Hill Urban Renewal Project, to building on the current Llanberris Athletics Reserve when new facilities are built, to greenfield sites in the proposed growth zones.
It's not yet known when a decision will be made, nor how planning will be fast-tracked for services, or if it will be all permanent.
VISITOR ECONOMY
Ballarat, and particularly Buninyong, shine during the AusCycling Road National Championships each year, with prime-time and day-long television and streaming coverage for events.
The Games will be a lot bigger, given we're hosting boxing and the athletics (so far - we'll probably find out more sports by the end of the year, according to the state government).
Council wants the city's visitor economy to be ready for the influx of people, from hospitality and accommodation providers, to cultural ambassadors.
There are also plans for "live sites" across the city to tune in, which will be important given how distributed all the events will be across the state.
One example could be at the train station precinct, where a new concrete plaza was finished earlier this year near the Goods Shed, or closer to the CBD.
Cr Moloney said the city knew how to do events, from night markets that block off Camp Street for a night to three weeks of ice-skating next to the town hall.
SPORTING FACILITIES
We know a new warm-up track will be needed for the athletics and para-athletics, as stipulated in international sporting rules, and that should provide a superb facility for Ballarat's own athletes.
Council's also pushing for more permanent seating at Mars Stadium, combined with temporary seating to bring it up to 30 to 40,000 seats.
That'd mean at least 8000 new permanent seats, so at the end of the Games, footy fans can look forward to a 20,000 seat stadium.
"We want to make sure we don't have a situation of needing to maintain a stadium bigger than our needs," Cr Moloney said.
"Maybe down the track we'll need a permanent 30-40,000 (seat stadium), but Geelong's only just got to that now with more than a century of the Cats playing at that ground - we might get there one day."
The state government committed millions in 2015 to bring the stadium to AFL-level in 2015, and the first AFL match was then played in 2017 - proof that it can be done.
There'll also need to be welcoming facilities and a games hub in the Major Events Precinct, with ticket sales, information, and bus drop-off areas.
IN THE NEWS
Cr Moloney noted mass car parks aren't allowed near major Commonwealth Games facilities, which means getting the transport part of the project right is key.
"The big challenge will be getting 30,000 people out of Mars Stadium almost all at once, a large number of people," he said - Ballarat's population, it should be noted, is 113,000.
"In the Commonwealth Games environment, you won't have any cars allowed near it for security reasons, there can't be parking lots outside Commonwealth Games venues.
"We look at the Gold Coast and now Birmingham, it's usually buses (that are used), but they fit about 50 people, versus a six-car VLocity (train), you can get a few hundred on board.
"Even though buses are inevitably going to have to play a massive role, there's limits.
"We're trying to be as pragmatic as possible, we know a massive shopping list is not going to be achievable."
The 2026 Commonwealth Games begins in 1324 days.
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