Residential development is set to transform Ballarat's north, reducing pressure on existing housing stock as the population booms.
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A planning scheme amendment creating an Urban Growth Zone north of the Western Freeway came into effect this week, with a notice by the Victorian Government on Thursday marking the final step in the approvals process.
The amendment rezones 565 hectares of farming and industrial land between the Midland Highway and Miners Rest to accommodate up to 6000 houses and potentially some 15,000 residents.
The council took the proposal to the Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) early last year to help ensure Ballarat would be prepared for future residential growth.
With the population to projected to push 145,000 by 2036, and 185,000 by 2040, the approval is no doubt good news for land-owners and developers.
Jellis Craig real estate director Matt Wiltshire told The Courier the rezoning was "definitely needed" to meet the demand for housing, and would benefit neighbouring suburbs by boosting services to the area.
Community advocates will be watching closely to ensure no one's cutting corners, highlighting infrastructure and flood management planning as critical components to get right before any building works begin.
The Committee for Ballarat (CfB) is advocating for a new rail platform at Wendouree's Mars Stadium to service the area, as well as integrated transport planning including bike lanes, walking paths and parklands.
Key questions for CfB chief executive Michael Poulton at this stage include: "Where do schools fit into this? Where are some of the activity centres sitting? Where are the community facilities and that sort of green space ability?"
"Activating the railway line to the north of Ballarat is so important ... but infrastructure is not just about roads and rail lines," Mr Poulton said.
"It also is about public amenity and we want to see a planning process that really delivers on that."
Mount Rowan resident and former City of Ballarat councillor Grant Tillett says the most important preparation to be done is to "very carefully understand and then resolve" the impact of the Burrumbeet Creek - which flows through the site - and its various floodplains.
"Before they [the VPA] can do any more, they really, truly need to understand what are the provisions they've got to make to allow for the unhindered free flow of the creek - otherwise there will be ramifications that they've never dreamt of," Mr Tillett said.
"They need to understand exactly where, why and how the flooding occurs now and the importance of the floodplains of the creek so that they don't allow structures to be built on the floodplains which will impact on the free flow of the creek when it is in flow."
The council's development director Natalie Robertson said in a statement the area would be developed with "environmental best practice" as outlined in the council's Northern Growth Precinct Sustainability Program.
This would be delivered via funding from the VPA's Innovation Pathway Pilot Project, Ms Robertson said.
The VPA's next steps are to prepare a precinct structure plan and development contributions plan.
