News Alert |

Community members interested in talking to Council Officers about the Miners Rest Township Plan have another opportunity this July.

The City of Ballarat’s Strategic Planning team has planned a drop-in session and is keen to hear from the community about the recent changes made to the draft Miners Rest Township Plan.

The extensive community engagement process undertaken throughout development of the Miners Rest Township Plan so far has provided residents and stakeholders with the opportunity to identify and discuss issues with Council officers.

The project has included more community consultation than any other strategic planning project, only second to the Ballarat Strategy.

Over the past two years, Council Officers have conducted more than 25 one-on-one meetings with stakeholders, held six community workshop sessions, spoken with 30 people over the phone and undertaken three community surveys which received a total of 150 responses.

The Miners Rest Township Plan aims to: 

Establish a long-term community vision for Miners Rest  Develop a prioritised action plan   Guide the City of Ballarat and other authorities to prioritise investment in the region  Provide a sound basis for the community and City of Ballarat to apply for grants or lobby for funding  Identify potential Ballarat Planning Scheme changes to implement land use planning actions 

It will guide and manage future land use and development until 2040 based on the themes of: 

Celebrate Miners Rest’s historic and natural assets  Establish a connected and unified township and community  Facilitate township growth and prosperity 

A number of priority action areas have been identified including: flood mitigation; new active sporting facilities; new, connected walking trails and Burrumbeet linear parkland; tree lined boulevard and vibrant town centre; identification of growth and new housing areas and; embrace and celebrate the equine industry and integrate into the township. 

At its meeting on 3 April 2019, Ballarat City Council voted to defer a decision on the Miners Rest Township Plan and referral to the Minister until the following had been provided:

a) The completion of the review of the planning controls masterplan for the Dowling Forest Equine Precinct b) The examination of the draft proposal for the future use and rezoning of the former Boral quarry at Miners Rest c) The impact of any current or future options for the Ballarat Airport on surrounding land; and d) The impact of any proposed Northern Growth Area as part of the current Growth Area Planning investigations being undertaken in conjunction with the Victoria Planning Authority (VPA).

Councillors will return to Council Chambers on Wednesday 3 July where they will receive an update on each of the above matters.

An updated draft of the Miners Rest Township Plan, which included changes to reflect the same above matters, has also been made available to the community.

This is available on the City of Ballarat’s community consultation hub: mysay.ballarat.vic.gov.au

We’re now calling on the community to review the plan and let us know if they have any further concerns. Any submissions, questions and comments can be emailed to strategicplanningsubmissions [at] ballarat.vic.gov.au

A community drop-in session has been scheduled for 23 July at the Miners Rest Community Hall in Market Street between 3-6pm. No registrations are required.

Following this engagement process, the report will be finalised and returned to Council for adoption at its September meeting, along with a report on the Dowling Forest planning controls.