title: “Amendment C254ball — Housing Strategy & Growth Areas Framework Plan Implementation” council: ballarat state: vic category: amendment classification: MAJOR status: in-progress lifecycle_stage: Authorisation sought (exhibition pending) last_compiled: 2026-04-16 source_docs:
- 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-meeting-agenda-with-attachments.txt
- 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-minutes.txt
- 12-november-2025-planning-delegated-committee-agenda-with-attachments.txt
- 13-march-2024-planning-committee-agenda-with-attachments.txt
- vpa-ballarat-north-psp-draft-amendment-c256ball-submission-62-redacted.txt
Amendment C254ball — Housing Strategy & Growth Areas Framework Plan Implementation
Amendment C254ball is the policy vehicle that converts the Ballarat Housing Strategy 2041 and the Ballarat Growth Areas Framework Plan (both adopted by Council on 14 August 2024) into statutory weight in the Ballarat Planning Scheme. It rewrites four Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS) clauses — 21.01 (Municipal Overview), 21.02 (Settlement and Housing), 21.08 (Transport and Infrastructure) and 21.09 (Local Areas) — replaces the dormant “10 Minute City” and “Convenience Living Corridors” concepts with a tiered “Compact City” change-area framework (minimal / incremental / substantial), and introduces three new statutory plans (the Housing Framework Plan, the Development Staging Plan, and two Future Urban Structure Plans for the Western and North-Western growth areas) that will govern how and where approximately 29,000 new dwellings are accommodated as Ballarat’s population grows from 115,000 (2021) to 170,000 by 2041 (Source: 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-meeting-agenda-with-attachments.txt, Explanatory Report p.1). The amendment does not, on its face, rezone any land or apply any overlay — but it sets the statutory hooks that every subsequent Ballarat rezoning, PSP, DCP and structure plan will be tested against. In that sense C254ball is less a single regulatory instrument than it is the keystone that allows at least seven named downstream initiatives to proceed under a single consistent policy.
Background
The two adopted strategies C254ball implements
At the Planning Delegated Committee meeting of 14 August 2024 (the same meeting that resolved PDC23/24 authorising C254ball), Council adopted two strategic documents that together frame the municipality’s greenfield and infill housing policy out to 2041:
- Ballarat Housing Strategy 2041 (2024) — the population, demographic and infill/greenfield demand analysis underpinning the Housing Framework Plan and the change-area hierarchy (Source: 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-meeting-agenda-with-attachments.txt, item 6.2). See housing-strategy-2041 for the analytical deep-dive.
- Growth Areas Framework Plan (2024) — the spatial and sequencing strategy for the two new greenfield precincts west of Ballarat, adopted via Council resolution PDC21/24 (Source: 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-minutes.txt). See growth-areas-framework-plan.
Both documents are inserted into the Schedule to Clause 72.08 (Background Documents) by the amendment (Source: 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-meeting-agenda-with-attachments.txt, p. 996). Once gazetted, they acquire statutory weight as the reference documents that planning decisions are assessed against under the MSS.
Lineage of the amendment — how Ballarat got here
The amendment sits at the end of a ten-year arc of strategic planning work that can be traced through Council resolutions:
- Ballarat Strategy 2040 (2015) — adopted by Council in 2015, with a headline target that future dwelling supply be split 50:50 between greenfield and infill areas (Source: 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-meeting-agenda-with-attachments.txt, Growth Areas Framework Plan p.11). See ballarat-strategy-2040.
- Hansen Partnership / Arup / Tim Nott — Ballarat Long Term Growth Options Investigation (2018) — identified four Greenfield Investigation Areas (Northern, Western, North-Western, Eastern) and recommended the Northern GIA as preferred for long-term growth.
- Council Resolution, 16 September 2020 — Ballarat West land supply reported as likely to exhaust by 2025 under prevailing demand; Council resolved to initiate a policy amendment to designate the Northern and Western GIAs as Ballarat’s future growth areas.
- Council Resolution R14/22, 23 February 2022 — Council resolved to seek Ministerial authorisation to rezone growth areas to Urban Growth Zone (UGZ), to commence PSP preparation for the Northern Growth Area, and to prepare a Growth Areas Framework Plan to sequence PSPs for the Western and North-Western areas (Source: 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-meeting-agenda-with-attachments.txt, Growth Areas Framework Plan p.12).
- August 2022 — VPA appointed Planning Authority for Ballarat North PSP by the then Minister for Planning Lizzie Blandthorn, MP; the core area of the Northern Growth Area was rezoned to UGZ via Amendment c221.
- May 2024 — Draft Growth Areas Framework Plan exhibited under resolution PDC13/24.
- 14 August 2024 — Adoption of Housing Strategy and Growth Areas Framework Plan, plus resolution to seek authorisation for C254ball (Source: 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-minutes.txt, PDC22/24 and PDC23/24).
The state policy scaffolding that forced the amendment
Three state-government policy settings are named in the Explanatory Report as driving the need to elevate the Housing Strategy and Growth Areas Framework Plan into the scheme (Source: 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-meeting-agenda-with-attachments.txt, Explanatory Report p.961-962):
- Clause 11.02-1S (Supply of urban land) — requires councils to plan to accommodate projected population growth over at least a 15-year period. C254ball’s Explanatory Report explicitly states the amendment ensures “Ballarat has a sufficient supply of land for residential purposes for the next 15 years” (Source: same, p.959).
- Clause 16.01-2S (Location of residential development) — directs councils to “increase the proportion of new housing in designated locations within established urban areas and reduce the share of new dwellings in greenfield and dispersed development areas”. This clause is the policy basis on which “Convenience Living Corridors” was replaced by the three-tier change-area hierarchy.
- Victoria’s Housing Statement (2023) — commits the state to 800,000 homes over 2024-2034, with 70% of new homes in
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Analysis
Amendment mechanics — what is actually changed
The Explanatory Report identifies twelve discrete packages of change. Table 1 of the report sets out the before-and-after structure of Clauses 21.01 and 21.02 in full detail. The table below reproduces that structure and annotates each change with its planning-substantive effect (Source: 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-meeting-agenda-with-attachments.txt, p.955-956).
Changes to Clause 21.01 (Municipal Overview)
| Sub-clause | Status under C254ball | Substantive change |
|---|---|---|
| 21.01-1 Context | Amended | Updates population numbers from “approximately 100,000 (2014)” to “approximately 115,000 (2021)”, and the 2040 forecast of “160,000” to 170,000 by 2041 (Source: p.997). Language referring to the city’s size is retained. |
| 21.01-2 Community vision | Amended | Inserts reference to the Housing Strategy 2041 and Growth Areas Framework Plan as the “fundamental pieces of work that inform Council’s approach to managing future change and guiding new growth in Ballarat to the year 2041” (Source: p.964). The 2015 Ballarat Strategy remains referenced but is qualified as being “supplemented” by the 2024 strategies. |
| 21.01-3 Land use vision | Amended | Deletes “10 Minute City”; inserts “Compact City”. This is the single most visible conceptual change in the amendment. The Officer Report at paragraph 12 records the rationale that “10 minutes is an arbitrary measurement of an area, not defined by actual distance or the various modes of transport that might be used to travel (that distance)” (Source: p.946). The replacement concept — Compact City — is re-defined as a city “developed in areas that have access to existing services, infrastructure and sustainable, accessible transport networks, and with varying levels of density (change areas)” (Source: p.965). |
| 21.01-4 Key Issues | Amended | Updates the population figure, removes the three now-redundant bullet points (“Maintaining a compact settlement form as part of Ballarat’s 10 Minute City”; “Encouraging greater densities along key transport corridors”; “Facilitating urban renewal in areas with potential for higher density development”), and inserts new bullets for social and affordable housing, diversity of housing responding to changing household types, and infill in substantial change areas (Source: p.998). |
Changes to Clause 21.02 (Settlement and Housing) — the substantive core of the amendment
| Existing clause | Status | Proposed clause | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21.02-1 Urban growth | Amended + renamed | 21.02-1 Housing growth | Dwelling projections updated to 55,000 additional people and 29,000 new dwellings by 2041. Insertion of a new 20 dw/ha minimum density for growth areas (Strategy 3.5) and the Housing Framework Plan figure. The previous “first housing type hierarchy” (Areas of Convenience Living / Urban Renewal Precincts / Strategic Investigation Areas / Ballarat West / Longer-term greenfield investigation areas / Ongoing change areas) is retired and replaced with “Growth areas / Established residential areas (minimal/incremental change) / Substantial change areas (urban renewal precincts + CBD) / Townships” (Source: pp.969-973, 1003-1005). |
| 21.02-2 Areas of convenience living | Deleted | — | The “Convenience Living Corridors” concept is abandoned. The Officer Report reasons this is because it “does not align with the direction set out for future housing locations and dwelling density in the Ballarat Housing Strategy 2041” (Source: p.954). Practical effect: development sites along what were designated Convenience Living Corridors (previously mapped along key transport corridors at 400m walking catchments) no longer receive a higher-density policy preference, save where they also fall within a formally mapped Substantial Change Area. |
| 21.02-3 Urban renewal precincts | Deleted and relocated | 21.02-3 Established residential areas (formerly 21.02-5 Ongoing change areas) | Urban renewal precincts become a sub-category of the new 21.02-4 Substantial change areas (see below). The previous “Ongoing change areas” policy is re-shaped as “Established residential areas” and split explicitly into minimal and incremental change sub-categories, each with its own objectives (Source: p.975). |
| 21.02-4 Greenfield investigation areas | Amended and moved | 21.02-2 Growth areas | The |
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Current Status
Lifecycle stage (as at last compilation): Authorisation sought — awaiting Minister’s approval to proceed to exhibition.
Timeline in detail
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 16 September 2020 | Council resolution noting Ballarat West land supply likely to exhaust by 2025; committed to a policy amendment to designate Northern and Western GIAs as future growth areas. | 14-august-2024 agenda, GAFP p.12 |
| 23 February 2022 | Council resolution R14/22 seeking Ministerial authorisation to rezone growth areas (UGZ), commence Northern Growth Area PSP, and prepare Growth Areas Framework Plan. | 14-august-2024 agenda, GAFP p.12 |
| August 2022 | VPA appointed Planning Authority for the Northern Growth Area PSP by Minister Lizzie Blandthorn; core area rezoned to UGZ. | 14-august-2024 agenda, GAFP p.12 |
| 8 May 2024 | PDC13/24 — Planning Delegated Committee approved community consultation on the draft Growth Areas Framework Plan. | 14-august-2024 agenda, item 6.1 para 2 |
| May 2024 | Public consultation on draft Growth Areas Framework Plan (2 drop-in sessions with landowners, 1 community drop-in, 2 development-industry workshops, individual meetings). 28 submissions + 14 online survey responses received. | 14-august-2024 agenda, item 6.1 paras 3-5 |
| July 2024 | Growth Areas Framework Plan revised in response to submissions. | 14-august-2024 agenda, item 6.1 |
| 14 August 2024 | PDC21/24 — Council adopted the Ballarat Growth Areas Framework Plan (revised July 2024). PDC22/24 — Council adopted the Ballarat Housing Strategy 2041. PDC23/24 — Planning Delegated Committee resolved to seek Ministerial authorisation to prepare Amendment C254ball; moved by Cr Daniel Moloney, seconded by Cr Ben Taylor; carried. | 14-august-2024 minutes |
| ”First half of 2025” | Expected exhibition per Officer Report paragraph 38 (“Exhibition of the amendment will not occur until the next term of Council has commenced, and it is anticipated that it will be in the first half of next year (2025)“). | 14-august-2024 agenda p.948 |
| Nov 2025 | City of Ballarat draft submission on Ballarat North PSP (C256ball) references “as part of Amendment C254” in the present tense, indicating C254ball is still treated as an active but not-yet-gazetted amendment. | 12-november-2025 agenda, item 6.1.2 p.12 |
Next statutory steps
- Minister’s authorisation response (not confirmed in the corpus). Authorisation is sought under Section 8A of the Planning & Environment Act 1987.
- Exhibition pursuant to Section 19 of the P&E Act (initially anticipated for first half of 2025; Council submission on a parallel amendment (C256ball) in November 2025 still describes C254ball as being in preparation).
- Submissions close — Council as planning authority considers submissions.
- Independent Planning Panel — Council may appoint a Panel to consider submissions (Officer Report paragraph 39).
- Panel report — Panel submits report to Council.
- Council adoption — Council decides whether to adopt, change or abandon the amendment (Officer Report paragraph 40).
- Minister’s approval — Minister for Planning decides whether to approve, change or refuse the amendment (Officer Report paragraph 41).
- Gazettal — approved amendment is gazetted in the Victoria Government Gazette.
Financial position
The Officer Report confirms Council bears all amendment costs as the proponent and planning authority, including notification of landowners, Panel hearing fees, and engagement of legal representation and expert witnesses (Source: 14-august-2024 agenda p.950, paragraphs 5-6). No specific budget figure is disclosed in the corpus; a typical council-led policy PSA through Panel runs in the order of 250,000–500,000 in direct costs, plus officer time.
Agency consultation position
The Explanatory Report confirms the amendment was prepared in consultation with (Source: p.963):
- Country Fire Authority (CFA)
- Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CCMA) (note: Explanatory Report uses “Carangamite” which is a typo)
- Heritage Victoria
- Department of Transport and Planning (DTP)
- Victorian Planning Authority (VPA)
- Environment Protection Authority (EPA)
- Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)
The EPA specifically advised on “land use compatibility, separation distances, noise, vibration and air quality and potentially contaminated land prior to any land rezoning to sensitive uses” (Source: Explanatory Report p.961). EPA’s support is conditional on the downstream EAO mechanism at Strategy 6.7 of Clause 21.02-4.
Agencies NOT listed as consulted include Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority (even though it manages the northern part of the North-Western Growth Area — Source: GAFP p.28), Ambulance Victoria, Police Victoria, and Central Highlands Water. The absence of CHW from the consultation list is notable given the amendment’s reliance on CHW capacity upgrades in the growth areas. Whether CHW was consulted outside the formal list (for example, via the GAFP process) is not confirmed in the corpus.
Dependencies
Blocks (what cannot proceed, or has reduced statutory weight, until C254ball is gazetted)
- C256ball Ballarat North PSP — the Ballarat North PSP’s local policy drafting has been shaped around the assumption C254ball will gazettes before or with it. Council’s November 2025 submission expressly asks VPA to relocate PSP-prioritisation content from a proposed Clause 11.01-1L into the C254ball local policy framework. If C254ball is delayed, C256ball’s local policy requires rework (Source: 12-november-2025-planning-delegated-committee-agenda-with-attachments.txt, item 6.1.2).
- Five downstream urban renewal precinct structure plans — Lal Lal Street, 313/317 Skipton Street, Wendouree Station, Latrobe Street Saleyards, and Ballarat East. Each structure plan requires the Substantial Change Area policy hook at Clause 21.02-4 to be in force.
- Residential zone schedule review — the review of the NRZ, GRZ and RGZ schedules depends on C254ball’s change-area hierarchy for its default zone-schedule settings.
- Neighbourhood character guidelines — the guidelines are referenced throughout the amended clauses; their utility depends on the change-area framework being in force.
- Western Growth Area PSP (western-growth-area) — although Council has stated it will bring forward technical work prior to formal PSP preparation (GAFP consultation response, paragraph 22), the substantive PSP preparation assumes the statutory Growth Area designation under C254ball.
- North-Western Growth Area PSP (nw-growth-area) — same.
- Infill Housing Framework — the infill implementation document depends on the Housing Framework Plan for its spatial scaffolding.
Blocked by (what must resolve before C254ball can progress)
- Minister for Planning authorisation (Section 8A) — the corpus does not confirm whether this has been granted. The 12 November 2025 C256ball submission continues to describe C254ball in forward-looking terms.
- Council term transition — the Officer Report paragraph 38 explicitly anticipated exhibition “in the first half of next year (2025)” reflecting the October 2024 local government elections.
Informed by
- Ballarat Housing Strategy 2041 (2024) — adopted PDC22/24, 14 August 2024.
- Ballarat Growth Areas Framework Plan (2024) — adopted PDC21/24, 14 August 2024.
- SGS Consultants Growth Area Framework Plan Development Contributions and Infrastructure Funding Assessment (2024) — 44 pages, attachment 6.1.6.
- Taylors Engineering Servicing Strategy (2024) — 291 pages, attachment 6.1.4.
- Alluvium Surface and Stormwater Management Strategy (2023) and Integrated Water Management Strategy (2023).
- One Mile Grid Ballarat Western & North Western Growth Areas Infrastructure Servicing Strategy – Traffic & Transport (2023).
- Macroplan Retail Assessment (2024) — 27 pages.
- ASR Research Community Infrastructure Assessment (2023) — 105 pages.
- Kevin Hazell Strategic Planning for Bushfire in the City of Ballarat (2020).
- Hansen Partnership, Arup & Tim Nott Ballarat Long Term Growth Options Investigation (2018).
- Context Pty Ltd Mapping Ballarat’s Historic Urban Landscape (2013).
- Schlagloth & Thomson Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management (2006).
- HillPDA City of Ballarat Employment Lands Strategy Draft Report (2021).
- SGS Ballarat’s Future Housing Needs 2021-2041 (2023).
- Today Tomorrow Together: The Ballarat Strategy 2040 (2015).
Implements (higher-order policies C254ball delivers on)
- Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 — Ballarat as a regional growth settlement.
- Central Highlands Regional Growth Plan 2014 — Ballarat’s role as a major regional centre.
- Victoria’s Housing Statement (2023) — partially; the Housing Statement’s 70:30 infill-greenfield target is not explicitly incorporated but the policy direction is aligned.
- Planning Policy Framework Clauses 11.01-1S, 11.02-1S, 11.03-1S, 15.01-5S, 16.01-1S, 16.01-2S, 16.01-3S (full alignment cross-tabulation in Explanatory Report pp.961-962).
Conflicts with
- Ballarat Strategy 2040’s 50:50 infill-greenfield target is not explicitly revised by C254ball, notwithstanding the Victorian Housing Statement’s 70:30 direction. The amendment amends the scheme to reference the Housing Strategy and
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Cross-Jurisdictional Links
Golden Plains Shire (south)
Golden Plains Shire made a formal submission on the draft Growth Areas Framework Plan seeking inclusion of the Cambrian Hill development (approximately 3,000 lots, adjacent to the Ballarat West PSP but inside Golden Plains Shire) in the sequencing (Source: item 6.1 paragraph 47). City of Ballarat’s response was that Cambrian Hill “was considered as part of the technical investigations but, being outside of the municipality, City of Ballarat has limited control over the development… City of Ballarat and Golden Plains Shire Council should continue to work closely to ensure growth area alignment across both municipalities” (paragraphs 48-49). Cambrian Hill residents will be reliant on Ballarat’s services and infrastructure — transport, retail, health, community — and Cambrian Hill traffic will impact Ballarat’s arterial network. This is a MAJOR cross-jurisdictional signal: the C254ball Framework Plan’s transport modelling and community-infrastructure assessments do NOT include Cambrian Hill demand, creating an under-estimation risk for infrastructure provisioning. See golden-plains-shire-boundary (if created).
Moorabool Shire (east) and Hepburn Shire (north)
The amendment does not identify specific cross-border dependencies with Moorabool or Hepburn Shires. However, both shires share the Central Highlands Water service area and the Central Highlands Regional Growth Plan (2014) with Ballarat. Cross-jurisdictional signals involving either shire’s growth areas or infrastructure would flow through the CHW capital works program and the Regional Growth Plan’s review cycle.
Pyrenees Shire (west)
No specific cross-border references in the amendment. Pyrenees Shire is adjacent to the western edge of the Western Growth Area but is sparsely settled in that boundary zone.
Central Highlands Water (water authority)
Central Highlands Water is a critical but under-emphasised cross-jurisdictional partner. The amendment’s growth-area capacity figures depend on CHW sewer capacity — specifically the Ballarat South Waste Water Treatment Plant buffer (Clause 21.08-1 Strategy 4.1 retained under C254ball) and the Ballarat Southern Trunk Sewer Project (mentioned in the Framework Plan consultation response at paragraph 36 as alleviating Bonshaw servicing constraints). CHW was not listed in the amendment’s formal agency consultation (Explanatory Report p.963). See water-servicing (if created); ballarat-southern-trunk-sewer (if created).
Victorian Planning Authority (VPA)
VPA is listed as a consulted agency (Explanatory Report p.963) and is the Planning Authority for the Ballarat North PSP (C256ball). The November 2025 C256ball submission shows Council is actively coordinating with the VPA to ensure C254ball local policy and C256ball ordinance align. If C256ball gazettes before C254ball, Council has proposed a workaround (relocating PSP-prioritisation content between local policies) to preserve consistency.
Department of Transport and Planning (DTP)
DTP is listed as a consulted agency. Key DTP-controlled infrastructure dependencies include: Ballarat Link Road (Stages 2-3 not funded), Ballarat-Carngham Road duplication (not funded), Western Highway, Remembrance Drive (HO154 heritage constraint). DTP’s funding decisions on these items directly constrain the growth-area delivery sequence the amendment enshrines.
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)
DEECA is listed as a consulted agency. Likely to be relevant at the downstream PSP stage for native vegetation offsets (Ecological Vegetation Classes: Plains Grassy Woodland, Plains Grassland, Plains Grassy Wetlands, Aquatic Herbland — Source: GAFP p.27), Matters of National Environmental Significance referrals, and Growling Grass Frog habitat protection (Source: GAFP Action 20).
Country Fire Authority (CFA)
CFA is listed as a consulted agency. The amendment’s Minimal Change Area designation relies on the Kevin Hazell bushfire planning report (2020) to identify areas of unacceptable bushfire risk.
Environment Protection Authority (EPA)
EPA’s input is visible in Clause 21.02-4 Strategy 6.7 (EAO application on sensitive-use rezonings) and in the amendment’s commitment to identify potentially contaminated land (Explanatory Report p.961).
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation
Wadaw
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Gaps in This Analysis
The corpus includes the full agenda paper and Explanatory Report for C254ball, but several material documents are either missing or reference only. The following gaps limit the depth of this analysis and are listed in _gaps.md:
- Ballarat Housing Strategy 2041 (2024) full text — only partially evident in the corpus. See housing-strategy-2041 for the limitations of that companion analysis.
- The Minister’s authorisation response (post-14 August 2024 Section 8A decision) — not in corpus. Required to confirm current lifecycle stage.
- Exhibition documentation (if exhibition has occurred) — not in corpus.
- Submissions on C254ball (once exhibited) — not in corpus. The submissions analysis above relies on the closely-related Growth Areas Framework Plan submissions as a proxy.
- Panel report (if a Panel has been appointed) — not in corpus.
- SGS Consultants Feasibility Assessment (2024) — numeric headlines are in the Officer Report but the underlying methodology, assumptions and DCP-rate derivation are not.
- Taylors Engineering Servicing Strategy (2024) — 291 pages attached as 6.1.4 but not extracted in corpus; contains the detailed water/sewer/electricity/gas/telecommunications/stormwater/traffic delivery cases.
- One Mile Grid Traffic and Transport Assessment (2024) — referenced throughout but not in corpus.
- Alluvium Surface and Stormwater Management Strategy (2024) and Integrated Water Management Strategy (2024) — referenced but not in corpus.
- Kevin Hazell Strategic Planning for Bushfire in the City of Ballarat (2020) — referenced as underpinning Minimal Change Area designation but not in corpus.
- Hansen/Arup/Tim Nott Ballarat Long Term Growth Options Investigation (2018) — referenced but not in corpus.
- Context Pty Ltd Mapping Ballarat’s Historic Urban Landscape (2013) — referenced but not in corpus.
- ASR Research Community Infrastructure Assessment (2023) — 105 pages, not in corpus.
- Macroplan Retail Assessment (2024) — 27 pages, not in corpus.
- Infrastructure Growth Alignment Framework (IGAF) — referenced as “not yet released” by VPA.
- Cambrian Hill development documentation (Golden Plains Shire) — referenced but not in corpus.
- The actual Housing Framework Plan, Development Staging Plan, and Future Urban Structure Plan maps — identified in the Explanatory Report but not rendered in the extracted text.
- The Strategic Framework Plan (referenced in Clause 21.01-4) — not rendered in extracted text.
- The Strategic Transport Plan (referenced in Clause 21.08-1) — not rendered in extracted text.
- Ballarat North PSP Expanded Area technical investigation — explicitly not undertaken by Council (Source: item 6.1 paragraph 46).
Each of these gaps is catalogued in the C254 gaps file at /data/gaps-c254-housing-growth-implementation.txt with priority ranking and suggested sources.
Appendix A — Complete ordinance change register
Every scheme-ordinance change proposed by C254ball, as recorded in the Explanatory Report, is captured below. Source: 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-meeting-agenda-with-attachments.txt, Explanatory Report pp.953-956.
Clause 21.01 — Municipal Overview
| Sub-clause | Change |
|---|---|
| 21.01-1 Context | Population updated: 115,000 (2021) / 170,000 (2041). Retained reference to 40,000 years of Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung connection to country. Retained 740 km² municipal area reference. |
| 21.01-2 Community vision | Vision bullet points retained (“A diverse and successful community”; “A proud community that has retained its unique sense of identity”; “A desirable city that we love to live and work in, with excellent facilities and services”; “A friendly city where the sense of community is a daily cornerstone of our life”; “A healthy and safe community that supports and values its residents”). Preamble reference updated to position Ballarat Strategy 2015 alongside Housing Strategy 2041 (2024) and Growth Areas Framework Plan (2024). |
| 21.01-3 Land use vision | ”10 Minute City” concept deleted; “Compact City” concept inserted. Retained concepts: “Compact city form”; “Complete and accessible local neighbourhoods”; “Land uses and precincts supporting jobs, productivity and efficiency”; “High quality local connections”; “City in the Landscape” concept with four sub-themes. |
| 21.01-4 Key Issues | Updated under headings Settlement and Housing, Environmental and Landscape Values, Environmental Resilience, Natural Resource Management, Built Form Heritage and Design, Economic Development, Transport and Infrastructure. Strategic Framework Plan inserted (map not rendered in text). |
Clause 21.02 — Settlement and Housing
| Sub-clause | Change | Key numbers |
|---|---|---|
| 21.02-1 Housing growth | Vision statement rewritten. Population: 55,000 more people and 29,000 more dwellings to 2041. Categories: Growth areas / Established residential areas (minimal, incremental) / Substantial change areas (urban renewal precincts, Ballarat CBD) / Townships. Objective 1: reinforce a compact city form. Strategies 1.1-1.5 (design excellence in CBD; higher density in substantial change areas; increased densities in incremental and substantial change areas; limit outward expansion; discourage density in minimal change areas). Housing Framework Plan map inserted. | |
| 21.02-2 Growth areas | Replacement content. Identifies current growth areas (Ballarat West, Alfredton West, Northern) and future growth areas (Western, North-Western). Objective 2: logical and sequential delivery. Strategies 2.1-2.4 (infrastructure timing; logical sequencing; regard to GAFP 2024; Housing Diversity Plan with Section 173 / MCP). Development Staging Plan inserted. Objective 3: compact, accessible, well-designed, sustainable communities. Strategies 3.1-3.8 (transport network; activity centre network; net zero; PSP staging compliance; 20 dw/ha minimum density unless site-specific constraints; higher densities in higher-amenity locations; range of dwelling types for 10+ lot subdivisions; social and affordable housing). Future Urban Structure Plans for Western and North-Western Growth Areas inserted. | |
| 21.02-3 Established residential areas | Replacement of “Ongoing change areas”. Identifies Minimal Change Areas and Incremental Change Areas. Objective 4: encourage minimal change in bushfire-prone or transport-dislocated areas. Strategies 4.1-4.2. Objective 5: facilitate incremental change. Strategies 5.1-5.3 (increased densities responsive to neighbourhood character; medium density contributing to neighbourhood character; development responding to heritage character). | |
| 21.02-4 Substantial change areas | New clause. Five named urban renewal precincts: Lal Lal Street; 313 and 317 Skipton Street, Ballarat Central; Wendouree Station; Latrobe Street Saleyards; Ballarat East (Eureka and Rodier Street). Ballarat CBD identified as substantial change area subject to urban design analysis and structure planning. Objective 6. Strategies 6.1-6.7 (urban design frameworks and structure plans; higher density responding to location; heritage response; housing diversity 1/2/3 bedroom apartments and townhouses; social and affordable housing identification; height limit variation for social and affordable housing provision; EAO on sensitive-use rezonings). | |
| 2 |
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Appendix B — Quoted officer recommendation (14 August 2024)
From 14-august-2024-planning-delegated-committee-minutes.txt (Resolution PDC23/24):
42.1 Note the adopted Ballarat Housing Strategy 2041 (2024) and Growth Areas Framework Plan (2024) and acknowledge the importance of progressing the implementation of the strategies into the Ballarat Planning Scheme to give statutory weight to those strategies in order to manage the challenges facing Ballarat’s population and housing growth.
42.2 Acknowledge that further strategic work is required to bring the Ballarat Housing Strategy 2041 (2024) and Growth Areas Framework Plan (2024) into full effect.
42.3 Seek authorisation from the Minister for Planning to prepare Ballarat Planning Scheme Amendment C254ball to implement the recommendations of the Ballarat Housing Strategy 2041 (2024) and Growth Areas Framework Plan (2024) into the planning scheme pursuant to 8A of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 as attached, and to place the Amendment as attached on exhibition pursuant to section 19 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987.
42.4 Authorise the Director Development and Growth to undertake administrative changes that do not change the intent of Planning Scheme Amendment C254ball.
Moved: Cr Daniel Moloney Seconded: Cr Ben Taylor
CARRIED (PDC23/24)
Appendix C — Relationship to the Ballarat planning amendment pipeline
C254ball is the policy-layer amendment. Several other amendments in the Ballarat pipeline interact with it:
- c221 — UGZ rezoning for growth areas (Northern Growth Area Core Area gazetted 2022).
- c235 — gazetted 14 November 2023; introduced the Miners Rest Township Plan into Clause 21.09-5.
- c236 — gazetted 22 June 2023; revised Clause 21.01-4 (Key Issues) and Clause 21.02-4 (Greenfield Investigation Areas) content. C254ball supersedes the C236ball changes to 21.01-4 and deletes the 21.02-4 content that C236ball had revised.
- c243 — Bridge Mall Amendment (Planning Delegated Committee 14 August 2024; parallel item 6.4).
- c245 — Lintel Grange Homestead heritage overlay (127 Edmonston Road, Addington).
- c248 — heritage amendment.
- c252 — amendment referenced in wiki; details to be confirmed.
- c257, c258, c263 — amendments referenced in wiki; may be residential-zone-schedule or further-strategic-work children of C254ball.
- C256ball — VPA-led Ballarat North PSP and DCP. Council’s formal submission seeks active coordination with C254ball drafting.
Appendix D — Numeric reference summary
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ballarat population, 2021 | 115,000 | Explanatory Report p.997 |
| Ballarat population forecast, 2041 | 170,000 | Explanatory Report p.997 |
| Additional population, 2021-2041 | 55,000 | Explanatory Report p.948 |
| Additional dwellings required, 2021-2041 | 29,000 | Explanatory Report p.948 |
| Municipal area | 740 km² | Explanatory Report p.997 |
| Minimum dwelling density, growth areas (C254ball Strategy 3.5) | 20 dw/ha | p.973 |
| PPF default minimum dwelling density, growth areas (Clause 11.01-1S) | 15 dw/ha | GAFP p.9 |
| Ballarat Strategy 2040 infill-greenfield target | 50:50 | GAFP p.11 |
| Victoria’s Housing Statement infill-greenfield target | 70:30 | GAFP p.12 |
| Western Growth Area gross area | 1,035 ha | GAFP p.16, p.35 |
| Western Growth Area residential area | 862 ha | GAFP p.35 |
| Western Growth Area dwelling envelope | 12,900–17,200 | GAFP p.35 |
| Western Growth Area population envelope | 34,800–46,000 | GAFP p.35 |
| Western Growth Area retail floorspace | 33,853 sqm | GAFP p.35 |
| Western Growth Area potential employment (FTE) | 1,258 | GAFP p.35 |
| North-Western Growth Area gross area | 698 ha | GAFP p.20, p.38 |
| North-Western Growth Area NDA | 500 ha | GAFP p.38 |
| North-Western Growth Area dwelling envelope | 7,200–9,600 | GAFP p.38 |
| North-Western Growth Area population envelope | 19,400–25,900 | GAFP p.38 |
| North-Western Growth Area retail floorspace | 18,892 sqm | GAFP p.38 |
| North-Western Growth Area potential employment (FTE) | 777 | GAFP p.38 |
| Western Growth Area indicative DCP rate (SGS) | 520,913 – 710,494 per NDA ha | item 6.1 para 11 |
| North-Western Growth Area indicative DCP rate (SGS) | 490,288 – 882,800 per NDA ha | item 6.1 para 11 |
| Western Growth Area DCP funding gap (low external demand) | 13 – 52 million | item 6.1 para 11 |
| Western Growth Area DCP funding gap (high external demand) | $177 million | item 6.1 para 10 |
| North-Western Growth Area DCP funding gap (low external demand) | 18 – 42 million | item 6.1 para 11 |
| North-Western Growth Area DCP funding gap (high external demand) | $208 million | item 6.1 para 10 |
| Western Growth Area wetland retarding basins required | 20 | GAFP p.35 |
| North-Western Growth Area wetland retarding basins required | 11 | GAFP p.38 |
| Submissions received on draft Growth Areas Framework Plan | 28 individual + 14 online survey | item 6.1 paras 4-5 |
| Substantial Change Areas (urban renewal precincts) under C254ball | 5 + CBD | Explanatory Report p.976 |
| Previous urban renewal precincts (pre-C254ball) | 8 | Existing Clause 21.02-3 per pp.1010-1011 |
| Precincts de-designated (Selkirk, Delacombe, Scott Parade, Creswick Road) | 4 | pp.947 + comparison |
| Precincts newly designated (Ballarat East Precinct) | 1 | Explanatory Report p.947 |
| Key Growth Actions in the Growth Areas Framework Plan | 67 | GAFP pp.44-48 |
| Cross-border Cambrian Hill development lots (Golden Plains Shire) | 3,000 | GAFP p.12 |
| Ballarat West PSP area | 1,290 ha | GAFP p.11 |
| Alfredton West PSP area | 317 ha | GAFP p.11 |
Appendix E — Key Growth Actions register (all 67, with C254ball implications)
The Growth Areas Framework Plan’s 67 Key Growth Actions (GAFP pp.44-48) become statutorily-weighted considerations once C254ball gazettes. Each action is reproduced below with a brief note on its amendment-level implication. “W” = Western, “NW” = North-Western, “W/NW” = both.
Heritage actions (1–7)
- Cultural Values Assessment of the growth areas prior to PSP preparation (W/NW). C254ball implication: establishes the policy basis under which the Wadawurrung TOAC engagement becomes a mandatory pre-PSP step. The Cultural Values Assessment is a precursor to a Cultural Heritage Management Plan, which in turn is required by the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 where areas of cultural heritage sensitivity are disturbed.
- Heritage technical investigations to identify sites of potential heritage significance (W/NW). C254ball implication: supports the heritage-response Strategy 6.3 in Clause 21.02-4 (Substantial change areas) by requiring identification of heritage values in the greenfield context.
- Review and update the Conservation Management Plan – Ballarat Avenue of Honour (W/NW). C254ball implication: HO154 (Ballarat Avenue of Honour — Victorian Heritage Register) runs through Remembrance Drive, bisecting the North-Western Growth Area. The updated CMP will be a material consideration for every development application in the NW Growth Area interface with HO154. See avenue-of-honour.
- Ensure development along the Avenue of Honour respects the urban interface character area (W/NW). C254ball implication: operationalises Action 3.
- Heritage technical investigations of potential Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Sensitivity within the Growth Areas (W/NW). C254ball implication: Winter Creek and Kensington Creek corridors (Western Growth Area) and HO154/Skipton Rail Trail-adjacent parcels (NW Growth Area) are flagged areas. Four circular parcels of approximately 100m diameter adjoining the Skipton Rail Trail are also flagged (GAFP p.28).
- Heritage technical investigations of historical mining, mining licenses and leases (W/NW). C254ball implication: links to Strategy 6.7 (EAO on contamination). The Western Growth Area has historical mining in the Bonshaw to Scotchman’s Lead Mining Landscape character area; the NW Growth Area has a mineshaft at the northeast corner (site ID 377047) of unknown condition.
- Ensure development along Remembrance Drive respects the urban interface character area (NW only). C254ball implication: specific NW constraint.
Land capability actions (8–11)
- Land capability investigations to determine whether mining occurred in the growth areas (W/NW). C254ball implication: both growth areas are in a region with gold-mining history. Mine shaft stability and acid mine drainage are potential constraints.
- Land contamination investigation in accordance with EPA Victoria guidelines (W/NW). C254ball implication: feeds into the EAO trigger at Strategy 6.7 of Clause 21.02-4 for any Industrial zone rezoning.
- Basaltic clay development requirements (W only). C254ball implication: the Western Growth Area consists largely of newer volcanic material — basaltic clay overlying basaltic rock (GAFP p.24). Basaltic clay has high swell-shrink potential requiring specific foundation design. Will affect per-lot civil costs.
- Buffer investigation to protect surrounding agricultural and rural living areas (W/NW). C254ball implication: requested by state government agencies during GAFP consultation (item 6.1 paragraph 57). Outcome will affect effective NDA in both growth areas. Linked to Clause 74.02 Further Strategic Work — “review of land use buffers and separation distances”.
Landscape & visual sensitivity actions (12–14)
- Low density residential zoning in parts of sub-precinct 2 (NW). C254ball implication: specific zoning recommendation for the NW Growth Area — will reduce dwelling yield in sub-precinct 2 to manage visual sensitivity. This is a yield-reduction signal for landowners in parts of the NW Growth Area’s sub-precinct 2.
- Low density residential zoning in parts of the southern and western areas (W). C254ball implication: similar visual-sensitivity-driven yield reduction in the Western Growth Area’s southern and western margins.
- Design and planning study for the urban-rural interface (W/NW). *C254ball implic
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Appendix F — Detailed parcel-level analysis: Urban Renewal Precinct transitions
The amendment’s treatment of urban renewal precincts is one of the most parcel-consequential changes. The following table maps each pre-amendment and post-amendment precinct with its approximate extent, zoning, and amendment treatment.
Pre-amendment urban renewal precincts (existing Clause 21.02-3)
| Precinct | Approximate location | Current zoning | Status under C254ball |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Parade Precinct | Inner city mixed use | Mixed Use Zone / Industrial 1 | Removed from Substantial Change Area list |
| Creswick Road Precinct | CBD fringe mixed use | Mixed Use Zone | Removed from Substantial Change Area list |
| Selkirk Precinct | Large-scale land use change | Industrial 1 / Mixed Use | Removed from Substantial Change Area list |
| Wendouree Village | Activity centre interface | General Residential | Retained (under new nomenclature as Wendouree Station Precinct) |
| Ballarat Saleyards Site and Light Industrial Precinct | Commercial / light industrial | Industrial 1 / Mixed Use | Retained as Latrobe Street Saleyards Precinct |
| Delacombe Precinct | Interface with Ballarat West Glenelg Highway MAC | Various | Removed from Substantial Change Area list |
| Lal Lal Street Precinct (implicit in existing scheme) | Inner city | Various | Explicit Substantial Change Area |
| 313/317 Skipton Street (implicit in existing scheme) | Ballarat Central | Various | Explicit Substantial Change Area |
Post-amendment Substantial Change Areas (new Clause 21.02-4)
| Precinct | Role under C254ball | Expected urban design framework / structure plan |
|---|---|---|
| Lal Lal Street Precinct | Inner-city substantial change | Required (Clause 21.02-4 Strategy 6.1) |
| 313 and 317 Skipton Street, Ballarat Central | Central substantial change | Required |
| Wendouree Station Precinct | Transit-oriented substantial change | Required |
| Latrobe Street Saleyards Precinct | Former light-industrial conversion | Required |
| Ballarat East Precinct (Eureka and Rodier Street) | New substantial change area | Required |
| Ballarat CBD | Substantial change via urban design framework and structure planning | Required (via cbd-urban-design-framework) |
Analytical observation: the amendment reduces the number of distinct urban renewal precincts (from 8 to 5 in the 2020 to 2024 scheme evolution) while introducing the CBD as a substantial change area requiring dedicated urban design framework treatment. The net effect is policy consolidation — strengthening the precincts that remain while removing policy support from Selkirk, Delacombe, Scott Parade and Creswick Road. This is a policy decision rather than a technical assessment outcome.
Submission risk: landowners in the de-designated precincts (particularly Delacombe, where the Ballarat West growth area is an active boundary influence) may submit objecting to the loss of urban-renewal-precinct designation. Council’s response would likely refer to the Housing Framework Plan’s Incremental Change designation for these areas as an alternative policy pathway.
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