News Alert |

Further community consultation is being sought on the development of the Wendouree Railway Station Precinct Master Plan.

In February 2018 the City of Ballarat commenced community consultation on the future of the Wendouree Railway Station Precinct as part of the development of a master plan for the area.

Based on your feedback, the draft master plan has been released for further comment.

The Wendouree Railway Station Precinct Draft Master Plan identifies a number of development opportunities, provides an action plan for infrastructure upgrades, as well as a framework for the delivery of projects currently underway including track duplication and the addition of a second platform at the Wendouree Station and the re-opening of Gregory Street West.

The Draft Master Plan proposes a new pedestrian plaza and bus interchange directly linking Gregory Street West to the station, and additional car parking. It also contains a staged approach to introduce new retail and commercial offerings to allow the Wendouree Station Precinct to function as both a transport hub and vibrant visitor destination.

The design for the Draft Master Plan has been informed by the first round of community consultation which commenced in February of last year, with more than 129 people contributing to the initial development of the master plan.

As part of the first phase of developing the master plan, residents, landowners, businesses and commuters were invited to participate in a series of community consultation drop-in sessions and surveys, with many taking up this opportunity to seek further information on the project and contribute their own ideas.

So far the community has told us they like the convenience of a station in the Wendouree area and its proximity to services and Lake Wendouree, but would like to see improvements to car parking and vehicle, pedestrian and cycling accessibility throughout the precinct.

The community has also outlined a number of other areas they would like to see improved, such as lighting, additional undercover spaces, restrooms and trees, improved signage and creation of more cycling racks.

Similar feedback opportunities will be available over the next month as the second phase of community consultation gets underway.

Anyone who wants to be involved in the community consultation can by:

• Completing an online survey at: mysay.ballarat.vic.gov.au, or; • Attending a community drop-in session on 19 March 2019 between 3.30-7.30pm at Level 1, 303 Gillies Street North

Community consultation commenced on Friday 1 March and will continue until Friday 5 April 2019.

Background: The Wendouree Railway Station Precinct Master Plan is being prepared by the City of Ballarat and is co-funded by Transport for Victoria in consultation with the community. The master plan is being developed in partnership with Transport for Victoria, VicTrack, Public Transport Victoria, Regional Roads Victoria and Rail Projects Victoria who are responsible for delivering the Ballarat Line Upgrade.

The master plan will identify a number of priority opportunities, including:

Improving the function, useability and appearance of the precinct Improving access and movement for pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles and buses Providing for an increasing number of people using the Wendouree Station and surrounding precinct Identifying development opportunities for the revitalisation of the precinct, including underutilised railway land Long-term rail infrastructure requirements Coordination of projects across the precinct Introduce a new pedestrian plaza and access from Gregory Street West to Wendouree Station Identify locations for future additional car parking Seek to introduce future retail and commercial offerings An improved bus interchange to the north of the station A future bus interchange south of the station which could accoomodate future bus services via the re-opening of Gregory Street West to expanding residential areas to Ballarat’s west.

The City of Ballarat received $40,000 funding from Transport for Victoria to undertake the planning for the master plan to ensure an integrated approach to the future development and revitalisation of the precinct.