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There were 61 survey responses received over the consultation period and 8 written submissions.
There were 1100 online visits to Council’s MySay website and approximately 180 visits to the pop-up shop located at 16 Bridge Mall through the consultation process.
Council officers contacted approximately 120 businesses within the Bakery Hill precinct during and up to the 4-week consultation. Businesses were given the opportunity to engage through 1-on-1 meetings, through the online survey or by attending the pop-up shop that was open Wednesday to Friday from 10am to 3pm. It was one of the most extensive consultation processes to date for a Master Plan. Moving forward, Council now has a Business Support Officer dedicated to liaising with businesses in the Ballarat CBD and who will maintain ongoing communications with traders, landowners and broader community as the project progresses.
The design options that were included in the consultation were all adaptable shared spaces. Council was clear and remains committed to ensuring safe vehicle movement throughout the precinct.
There were 5 options which formed part of the Bakery Hill Urban Renewal Plan. These options included a two-way street, one-way street (east to west and west to east) with various parking options (angle/parallel) and 2 options that provided additional landscaping possibilities. Note these are not the final design, which is the next stage of the process.
At its meeting in May 2019, Council provided in principle support for a staged capital works program and investment package, including opening the Bridge Mall to shared pedestrian and vehicle movement. Council has made a budget commitment of $15 million over three years towards the Bridge Mall/Bakery Hill precinct, including the Bridge Mall’s reopening. The $15m contribution is seed funding from the City of Ballarat to commence the long-term urban renewal of the Bakery Hill precinct which will require investment from State Government and the private sector. Business as usual is not an option as the decline can’t be reversed without major intervention.
There has not been any recent land use zoning control changes in the Bridge Mall/Bakery Hill precinct.
Since May, Council has prepared a draft master plan and conducted a 4-week community consultation on the Draft Bakery Hill Urban Renewal Plan and is now in the process of reviewing all information collected from the consultation. Council has committed to spending $15 million over 3 years, and short-term works will commence shortly after the Plan has been adopted by Council.
The Bakery Hill Urban Renewal Plan seeks to address a decline in economic activity within the Precinct and a shared concern amongst the community that the Bridge Mall requires revitalisation and intervention over the long term. Opening the Mall to traffic, with a focus on providing an increase in activity and easy access for people to the area, is one of the ways in which movement through the Mall can be improved; streetscape upgrade will build confidence in the private sector to invest in the Precinct, new community spaces will be built and the original entry to Ballarat through the historic commercial core of Bridge Street will be reintroduced.
The next steps in the Bakery Hill Urban Renewal Plan will be consideration of the Master Plan by Council for adoption, and then progressing to design detail for the physical works that will take place. This includes the planning, design and further community engagement associated with the proposed designs. Council will continue to work with all stakeholders during this process.
The Bakery Hill Urban Renewal Plan will go to the October 30 Council meeting for adoption.
Yes, Council is aware that there is a petition.
A summary of the community consultation will be released in the coming weeks.
Individual survey responses and written submissions will not be available to view by the general public, because of privacy issues, however Council will summarise the submissions and responses as part of a Community Engagement Summary document.