Grange Planning Brain

title: Amendment C256ball - Ballarat North PSP, DCP and NVPP council: ballarat state: vic category: amendment classification: MAJOR status: exhibited last_compiled: 2026-05-31 source_docs:

  • Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Instruction-Sheet-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-01-Redacted.pdf to Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-Ballarat-C256ball-d-eaoMaps12_13-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-Ballarat-C256ball-d-foMaps12_13-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-Ballarat-C256ball-d-scoMaps12_13-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-Ballarat-C256ball-dcpoMaps05_07_11_12_13-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-Ballarat-C256ball-eaoMap12-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-Ballarat-C256ball-hoMap12-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-Ballarat-C256ball-lsioMaps12_13-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-Ballarat-C256ball-paoMap05-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-Ballarat-C256ball-znMaps05_07_11_12_13-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-C256ball-11_01-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-C256ball-43_01s-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-C256ball-45_01s-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-C256ball-45_06s2-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-C256ball-45_12s-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-C256ball-52_16s-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-C256ball-53_01s-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-C256ball-72_03-s-Public-Consultation.pdf
  • Draft-Amendment-C256ball-72_04-s-Public-Consultation.pdf

Amendment C256ball - Ballarat North PSP, DCP and NVPP

Current Production Status

C256ball current status: exhibition and the reserved March 2026 SAC hearing window have passed; SAC report, Ministerial decision, approval and gazettal are not in corpus.

Current Production Status

C256ball current status: exhibition and the reserved March 2026 SAC hearing window have passed; SAC report, Ministerial decision, approval and gazettal are not in corpus.

Current Production Status

C256ball current status: exhibition and the reserved March 2026 SAC hearing window have passed; SAC report, Ministerial decision, approval and gazettal are not in corpus.

Amendment C256ball is the statutory package for the Ballarat North Precinct Structure Plan, the Ballarat North Development Contributions Plan, and the Ballarat North Native Vegetation Precinct Plan. It would convert a 561 hectare northern growth precinct into a planned urban area for approximately 5,600 homes, around 15,480 residents, and around 1,000 jobs over a 20 to 30 year horizon. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.1,3,15)

The main planning issue is not whether the precinct is intended for growth; the exhibited amendment makes that direction explicit. The unresolved questions are how much of the northern growth area should be included now, whether infrastructure cost apportionment is robust, and whether heritage, biodiversity, drainage, contamination, transport and service constraints are resolved at a level suitable for statutory implementation. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, pp.3,17-18,25-26)

Background

The amendment was prepared by the Victorian Planning Authority, now part of the Department of Transport and Planning, on behalf of the Minister for Planning, who is the intended planning authority. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.3)

The precinct is approximately seven kilometres north-west of the Ballarat CBD and is generally bounded by Cummins Road to the north, the Western Freeway to the south, existing residential land to the west and Midland Highway to the east. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.3)

The Ballarat Housing Strategy 2041 identifies the core and future expanded Ballarat North area, also described as the Northern Growth Area, as part of Ballarat’s housing supply response and as Council’s priority growth area for short to medium term land supply. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.6)

The exhibited package was available for inspection between 19 September 2025 and 20 October 2025, with reserved Standing Advisory Committee dates in the week commencing 9 February 2026 for directions and the week commencing 16 March 2026 for hearing if required. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.1-2)

Analysis

Statutory Mechanism

The amendment uses a full growth-area implementation model rather than a simple rezoning. It introduces UGZ3, DCPO2, new Heritage Overlay schedules, a Public Acquisition Overlay, Environmental Audit Overlay changes, LSIO and FO changes, removal of SCO1 from the precinct, and updates to Clauses 11.01-1L, 52.16, 53.01, 72.03 and 72.04. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.1,4-5)

UGZ3 applies different underlying zone rules according to the future urban structure: Commercial 1 Zone controls for the neighbourhood activity centre and local convenience centre, Public Park and Recreation Zone controls for regional open space, Residential Growth Zone controls for increased density areas, and General Residential Zone controls for other land. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.2)

The activity-centre controls cap shop floorspace at 15,740 square metres in the neighbourhood activity centre and 2,070 square metres in the local convenience centre unless a later application justifies additional shop floorspace by catchment demand and effects on nearby centres. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.3,19)

The amendment also incorporates the Ballarat North PSP, Ballarat North DCP, Ballarat North NVPP, five homestead statements of significance, and the Small Lot Housing Code into Clause 72.04. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-72_04-s-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.1-3)

Land Supply and Expanded Area

The core precinct contributes about 5,600 dwellings, which the explanatory report describes as approximately 30 per cent of Ballarat’s greenfield new dwelling target and 12 per cent of the municipality’s total housing target. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.15)

Clause 11.01 is proposed to recognise a Ballarat North Expanded Area Framework Plan, but the expanded area is not rezoned as part of the exhibited UGZ3 package. Rezoning of the expanded area is made contingent on analysis demonstrating the need for additional residential land, the ability of the state road network to support development or be feasibly upgraded, and arrangements to construct utility infrastructure. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-11_01-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.7)

This creates the central sequencing dispute in the amendment. Several landowner submissions seek immediate inclusion of expanded-area land on the basis that later planning would duplicate infrastructure design and cost-sharing work. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-02-Redacted.pdf; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-28-Redacted.pdf; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-60-Redacted.pdf)

The City of Ballarat submission takes a stronger institutional position: it says the expanded area should be included to help meet Ballarat’s greenfield housing target of 18,900 dwellings, stating that current growth areas account for about 11,000 lots, or 16,500 lots including Ballarat North, and that the expanded area is expected to provide 2,500 dwellings. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, p.17)

The key planning consequence is that the exhibited amendment protects the expanded area in policy but does not give it a development control, contribution regime or subdivision pathway. That means the core PSP can proceed more quickly, but any infrastructure designed to serve both areas risks contested apportionment unless the expanded area has a clear later funding mechanism. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-11_01-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.7; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, pp.17-18)

Infrastructure Contributions and Cost Risk

DCPO2 applies to all land in the Ballarat North DCP area and sets a development infrastructure levy of 672,901 per net developable hectare and a community infrastructure levy of 599.34 per dwelling for the main catchment area. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-45_06s2-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.1)

The DCP exemptions include existing or approved dwellings, non-government schools, housing provided by or on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of Homes Victoria, and small second dwellings. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-45_06s2-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.1)

The open space contribution is separately set at 3.8 per cent for land covered by the incorporated Ballarat North PSP, with land and/or cash requirements to accord with the PSP’s future urban structure. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-53_01s-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.1)

The City of Ballarat submission identifies unresolved DCP mechanics. It says functional designs and costings for drainage basins and transport projects were not provided in the exhibition package, that land valuation tables were not populated with monetary figures, that the valuation methodology page was blank, and that some DCP tables were missing acquisition area, land cost, total recovered cost and levy calculations. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, pp.3,8,25-26)

Council also identifies an apportionment problem: it says some community infrastructure and open-space projects generated by the core area are apportioned 50 per cent to the expanded area even though Council is not aware of investigations showing the expanded area should receive that apportionment. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, p.25)

The practical mechanism is straightforward. If a project is needed by the core area but half its cost is assigned to a future area with no current statutory contribution requirement, the collecting authority may carry funding risk until a later amendment is approved. Council explicitly says that if the expanded area is expected to contribute to infrastructure funding, it should be included in the PSP and supported by integrated infrastructure planning. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, p.18)

Transport, Movement and Access

Transport is a recurring contested issue across community, landowner and council submissions. Residents raise concerns about Gillies Road, Cummins Road, Howe Street, Midland Highway, Learmonth Road, Waltham Drive, pedestrian crossings and traffic growth from 5,600 dwellings. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-07-Redacted.pdf; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-09-Redacted.pdf; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-30-Redacted.pdf; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-31-Redacted.pdf)

UGZ3 includes a permit condition requiring bus stop hard stands with safe pedestrian access before statement of compliance for subdivision stages, at locations approved by Public Transport Victoria and at no cost to Public Transport Victoria. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.16)

Council says its 19 September 2025 feedback on the Strategic Transport Modelling Assessment and Integrated Transport Assessment was not addressed in the exhibited documents, and it requests investigation of additional road upgrades and active transport crossings for possible DCP inclusion, including pedestrian bridges at Noble Court and Malahide Drive. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, p.3)

One submission objects that the SMEC and Jacobs traffic reports are deficient because they do not consider a new bridge over the Western Highway linking Forest Street to the northern growth area, Howitt Street and Gillies Street intersection performance near the railway line, upgrades to Gillies Street and Midland Highway, or an eastbound Western Freeway off-ramp to Gillies Street. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-45-Redacted.pdf)

The transport issue therefore has two layers: the exhibited controls require subdivision-stage delivery of local public transport infrastructure, while the contested submissions focus on whether the broader arterial and active-transport network has been costed, apportioned and staged at the right scale. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.16; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, p.3)

Drainage, Flooding and Waterways

The amendment deletes part of the Floodway Overlay in the south-east corner of the precinct and replaces it with LSIO to allow development generally in accordance with the PSP. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.4)

The floodplain strategy is to place most FO or LSIO-affected land into drainage or other open-space reserves, while requiring applications for remaining developable land to satisfy the responsible authority and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.16)

UGZ3 creates a specific Burrumbeet Creek Housing Area control. Subdivision cannot proceed, except with responsible authority and Glenelg Hopkins CMA consent, until a utility coordination plan, subdivision plan, drainage and fill strategy, CEMP and revegetation plan have been prepared for the whole sub-precinct. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.4)

The drainage and fill strategy must prevent new lots where building envelopes are subject to 1 per cent AEP inundation accounting for climate change, contain overland flows within reserves, avoid upstream or downstream flood increases, and provide drainage network capacity for the 5 per cent AEP flood. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.4)

A landowner represented by Beveridge Williams objects to PAO06 applying to a 2.05 hectare portion of a 9.45 hectare site for stormwater and drainage infrastructure, identifying the encumbrance as drainage basin NWN. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-22-Redacted.pdf)

Council’s submission states that high-level drainage and benchmark community costings appear to have been used, that drainage construction total should be $52,885,965.60, and that land for a City-owned basin should be shown if it is intended to be provided at zero cost. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, pp.25-26)

Biodiversity and Native Vegetation

The amendment incorporates the Ballarat North NVPP and updates Clause 52.16 to list the Ballarat North Native Vegetation Precinct Plan 2025. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-52_16s-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.1)

The explanatory report says the NVPP identifies vegetation to be protected and vegetation appropriate for removal, and that removal will be streamlined only where it accords with the PSP. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.16)

UGZ3 requires a Conservation Management Plan before subdivision within the Seasonal Herbaceous Wetland Area, including baseline ecological assessment, hydrological assessment, protection and enhancement measures, monitoring and adaptive management, and alignment with state and Commonwealth environmental legislation. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.4-5)

DEECA supports the amendment subject to minor updates, but it identifies existing wetlands and Seasonal Herbaceous Wetland areas near Burrumbeet Creek and Ballarat Town Common as habitat for matters of national environmental significance, including the critically endangered Seasonal Herbaceous Wetlands ecological community and threatened flora such as Stiff Groundsel and River Swamp Wallaby-grass. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-61-Redacted.pdf, p.1)

DEECA also states that the biodiversity assessment was conducted under sub-optimal conditions for some species and that targeted surveys may be required at permit stage. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-61-Redacted.pdf, p.1)

The NVPP does not remove Commonwealth risk: DEECA recommends a PSP note stating that separate EPBC referrals may be required for actions that may significantly affect listed species or ecological communities. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-61-Redacted.pdf, p.2)

Heritage

The amendment creates five new Heritage Overlay schedules: HO252 at 15 Sims Road, HO253 at 134 Gillies Road, HO254 at 112 Olliers Road, HO255 at 103 Olliers Road, and HO256 at 88 Olliers Road. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.4)

The heritage schedule identifies HO252 as Chalmers Homestead, HO253 as Hawthorn Farm, HO254 as Hawthorn Park, HO255 as Scott’s Homestead and HO256 as Bernera Homestead, with tree controls applying to each and additional controls for specified fabric at some places. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-43_01s-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.41-42)

Council’s submission says it commissioned GJM Heritage to peer review the RBA Post Contact Heritage Assessment and that the peer review found significant flaws in RBA’s methodology and documentation. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, p.3)

Council says its heritage officers raised concerns about inconsistency with Planning Practice Note 1, including missing sections on intactness and integrity and a separate assessment against heritage criteria. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, p.6)

The heritage mechanism is therefore partly settled and partly contested. The statutory schedules identify five places for protection, but the local authority’s peer review challenges whether the supporting heritage assessment is complete enough to defend the final curtilages, controls and statements of significance. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-43_01s-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.41-42; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, pp.3,6)

Contamination, Buffers and Sensitive Uses

The amendment applies the Environmental Audit Overlay to several properties, including former industrial sites nominated as having high contamination potential, and deletes the EAO from two south-east properties assessed as no longer having high contamination potential. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.5)

UGZ3 prohibits dwellings and other accommodation-type uses as-of-right on land within the asphalt plant buffer or the 500 metre landfill buffer. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.3)

Applications for sensitive uses within the asphalt plant buffer must include an odour amenity risk assessment, and applications within the 500 metre landfill gas buffer must include a landfill gas risk assessment prepared in accordance with EPA Publication 1950. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.11-12)

The Department of Education notes that the south-east government primary school site on Parcel 70 and 71 is on land with high contamination potential and proposed EAO coverage, but understands remediation is expected to be completed shortly and the EAO removed from the amendment package for that site. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-59-Redacted.pdf, p.1)

Council separately says Lot 70 has high contamination potential, is the site of community facility CI-02, and must be fit for purpose when transferred to the City, with Council stating it will not be responsible for clean-up costs. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, p.8)

Water, Sewerage and Energy

Central Highlands Water supports the amendment and says the PSP can ultimately be supplied with water and sewerage, but some augmentation works are required as land is developed. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-57-Redacted.pdf, p.5)

CHW says the Ballarat North Water Reclamation Plant will service the PSP, that the plant has around 10,500 sewerage connections in its catchment, and that its proximity to the PSP minimises the scale of trunk sewer infrastructure required. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-57-Redacted.pdf, p.2)

CHW says Stage 1 in the south-east is close to existing sewer and water trunk mains, while some Stage 2 areas are harder to service without significant network augmentation; it recommends adding Stages 2A and 2B to identify higher service difficulty areas in the north-west and near the BNWRP boundary. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-57-Redacted.pdf, p.3)

CHW is planning a major water supply augmentation for the area, with the first stage planned for delivery over the next three to five years and needed to service the full PSP and subsequent expanded area. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-57-Redacted.pdf, p.2)

CHW has begun a business case for Class A recycled water from the BNWRP to the PSP, with completion expected in March 2026. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-57-Redacted.pdf, p.5)

Powercor’s submission states that initial servicing can be supported by the Ballarat North zone substation with transfers to Ballarat East, but that 2 to 3 new feeders are likely required and a new zone substation may be required in the long term. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-12-Redacted.pdf, pp.2-3)

Powercor also requests retention of PSP requirement R34 because it relates to REFCL isolating transformer space and bushfire risk compliance. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-12-Redacted.pdf, p.1)

Social Infrastructure and Schools

The Department of Education says the PSP proposes one government secondary school in the north-west sub-precinct on an 8.4 hectare site, and two government primary schools of 3.5 hectares each in the north-west and south-east sub-precincts. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-59-Redacted.pdf, p.1)

The Department of Education considers the number of proposed government schools sufficient for the expected future population and supports the exhibited school locations. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-59-Redacted.pdf, p.1)

The Department of Justice and Community Safety supports the land allocation for VICSES and the fire agency within the PSP and supports the future infrastructure locations. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-01-Redacted.pdf)

Several community submissions ask for earlier and stronger provision of local services, active transport, community facilities, library-type functions, open space, larger canopy-supporting lots and better public transport integration. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-05-Redacted.pdf; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-18-Redacted.pdf; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-23-Redacted.pdf; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-27-Redacted.pdf)

The Community Housing Industry Association Victoria submission frames social and affordable housing as critical social infrastructure and makes recommendations for stronger social and affordable housing delivery in the PSP. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-42-Redacted.pdf)

Current Status

As exhibited, Amendment C256ball was at public consultation stage between 19 September 2025 and 20 October 2025. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.1-2)

The explanatory report states that unresolved issues may be referred to the Victorian Planning Authority Projects Standing Advisory Committee, which would advise the Victorian Planning Authority and Minister for Planning. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.2)

The reserved SAC dates were a directions hearing in the week commencing 9 February 2026 and a panel hearing in the week commencing 16 March 2026, if required. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.2)

Dependencies

  • Blocks: Urban subdivision of the core Ballarat North precinct at PSP scale depends on approval of UGZ3, DCPO2, the incorporated PSP, the incorporated DCP and the incorporated NVPP. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.1,4-5)
  • Blocked by: Unresolved submissions may trigger Standing Advisory Committee consideration before ministerial decision-making. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.2)
  • Blocked by: The Burrumbeet Creek Housing Area cannot proceed to subdivision until utility coordination, subdivision, drainage and fill, CEMP and revegetation plans are approved for the whole sub-precinct. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.4)
  • Blocked by: Seasonal Herbaceous Wetland land cannot be subdivided until a Conservation Management Plan is prepared to the responsible authority’s satisfaction in consultation with DEECA. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.4-5)
  • Informed by: The amendment is informed by the Ballarat Housing Strategy 2041, Plan for Victoria, Victoria’s Housing Statement, the Central Highlands Regional Growth Plan and the Ballarat North technical work referenced by Council. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.6,15; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, p.17)
  • Implements: The amendment implements the Northern Growth Area component of Ballarat’s housing supply strategy and contributes to the Housing Statement’s regional priority project program. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.6,15)
  • Conflicts with: The exhibited core-only approach conflicts with Council and several landowner submissions seeking immediate expanded-area inclusion. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-28-Redacted.pdf; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-60-Redacted.pdf; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, pp.17-18)

Central Highlands Water is a binding servicing authority because water, sewerage, recycled water and wastewater treatment buffers affect staging, land-use suitability and long-term network augmentation. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-57-Redacted.pdf, pp.1-5)

DEECA is a binding environmental agency because the NVPP, Seasonal Herbaceous Wetland, threatened flora and possible EPBC referral requirements affect permit-stage vegetation removal and wetland management. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-61-Redacted.pdf, pp.1-3)

The Department of Education is a delivery agency for the proposed one secondary school and two primary schools, and its support is conditional on the exhibited assumptions about school numbers and locations. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-59-Redacted.pdf, p.1)

Powercor is a utility dependency because the precinct is expected to require 2 to 3 new feeders and may require a new long-term zone substation. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-12-Redacted.pdf, pp.2-3)

Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority is a permit-stage dependency for the Burrumbeet Creek Housing Area because UGZ3 requires its satisfaction or consent for drainage and flood-related subdivision controls. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-37_07s3-Public-Consultation.pdf, p.4)

Gaps in This Analysis

The supplied corpus does not include the full incorporated Ballarat North Precinct Structure Plan, full Ballarat North Development Contributions Plan or full Ballarat North Native Vegetation Precinct Plan as standalone extracted documents, even though Clause 72.04 proposes to incorporate them. This limits the ability to verify the complete land budget, parcel-by-parcel net developable area, full infrastructure item list, staging plan, DCP project tables, NVPP offset tables and all PSP requirements. (Source: Draft-Amendment-C256ball-72_04-s-Public-Consultation.pdf, pp.1-3)

The supplied corpus does not include the full technical background reports identified in submissions, including the WSP Biodiversity Assessment, RBA Post Contact Heritage Assessment, GJM peer review, Strategic Transport Modelling Assessment, Integrated Transport Assessment, Stormwater Drainage Report, Integrated Water Management Assessment, Land Capability Assessment, Land Valuations Report and Utilities Assessment. Council’s submission directly states that some of these technical materials, costings, valuations or functional designs were either not provided or not complete in the exhibition package. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf, pp.3,6,8,17,25-26)

The submission set is useful for issue identification but uneven for quantitative analysis because many submissions are short survey responses while several large submissions contain annexures, consultant reviews or agency letters. This means issue counts can be identified qualitatively, but a defensible statistical coding of all submission issues would require a separate submission table prepared from the full redacted corpus. (Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-01-Redacted.pdf; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Submission-62-Redacted.pdf)

Post-Hearing Status Guardrail

As at 31 May 2026, any March 2026 SAC or Panel hearing date for Ballarat North/C256ball should be read as a past procedural milestone, not as a future event. The available corpus does not contain a SAC report, Panel report, Ministerial decision or gazettal outcome after those hearing windows, so the defensible status is “hearing window passed; outcome not in corpus”. This keeps the page current without inventing an approval or refusal outcome.

C256ball Current-Status Guardrail

Ballarat North/C256ball has passed its reserved March 2026 SAC hearing window, but the corpus does not contain a SAC report, Ministerial decision, approved amendment or gazettal record. The defensible current status is post-exhibition/post-hearing-window with outcome not in corpus. (Source: vpa-ballarat-north-psp-draft-amendment-c256ball-explanatory-report-public-consultation.txt; Source: Ballarat-North-PSP-Draft-Amendment-C256ball-Explanatory-Report-Public-Consultation.pdf)

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