title: Ballarat West Growth Area Plan (2009) council: ballarat state: vic category: growth-area status: adopted last_compiled: 2026-04-10 source_docs:
- ballarat-west-growth-area-plan-march-2009.txt
Ballarat West Growth Area Plan (2009)
The Ballarat West Growth Area Plan is a long-term strategic land use plan prepared in March 2009 by Tract Consultants (with ESD Pty Ltd, TTM Consulting, Beveridge Williams, and Urban Enterprises). It established the planning framework for Ballarat’s western growth front and directly informed the subsequent ballarat-west-psp and alfredton-west-psp.
Background
The Plan reflected the Ballarat Municipal Strategic Statement’s identification of the west as the principal growth area, due to physical and servicing constraints to the north and east and fragmented land use to the south. It built on the Ballarat Industrial Land Use Strategy (Connell Wagner, 2005) and the Ballarat Transport Strategy 2005 (Ratio Consultants). (Source: ballarat-west-growth-area-plan-march-2009.txt)
The Plan was developed through an Inquiry by Design process involving community consultation and input from servicing agencies and infrastructure authorities.
Key Content
Capacity
- Approximately 14,000 residential lots
- Population capacity: 35,000–40,000 people
- Growth to extend beyond 2030
Key Elements
Residential: Two main growth centres at Alfredton and Delacombe, with some limited residential expansion west of Sebastopol. New residential growth organised around centrally located town centres providing retail, employment, recreation, and other services.
Employment: Limited expansion of the existing Carngham Road industrial area. Reliance on employment opportunities in the existing Ballarat urban area and the north-western industrial area (now the ballarat-west-employment-zone). Town centres to provide local retail and service jobs.
Transport: Arterial network of Remembrance Drive, Carngham Road, Glenelg Highway, and Dyson Drive. Collector road network for bus routes. Public transport reliant on buses.
Social Infrastructure: Town centres as multi-function hubs (retail, services, offices, medical, government). Council community centres co-located with schools. Open space network with dispersed large local parks. Sports reserves co-located with schools, with higher-order facilities at Victoria Park.
Open Space: Floodways, creeks, and watercourses utilised as linear open space.
Ecological Sustainable Development
The Plan incorporated ESD principles including:
- Housing diversity and affordability
- Community facilities and services within walkable catchments
- Public open spaces linked by trails
- Movement network prioritising walking, cycling, and public transport
- Energy efficiency and conservation measures
Staging
The Plan included staging principles and a proposed staging plan for Ballarat West and Alfredton West, outlining recommended sequencing for future PSPs. It emphasised that more detailed planning would occur through the PSP process.
Current Status
Adopted. The Plan has been substantially implemented through the ballarat-west-psp (2012/2016/2026) and alfredton-west-psp (2011). It remains a background document in the planning framework but has been operationally superseded by the PSPs for the areas it covers. For areas beyond the PSPs, the growth-areas-framework-plan (2024) now provides the strategic framework. (Source: growth-areas-framework-plan-western-and-north-western-growth-areas_august-2024.txt)
Relationships
- Preceded by: Ballarat Strategy 1998, Ballarat MSS, Ballarat Industrial Land Use Strategy (2005), Ballarat Transport Strategy (2005)
- Led to: ballarat-west-psp, alfredton-west-psp, ballarat-west-employment-zone, ballarat-west-dcp
- Superseded by: growth-areas-framework-plan (for areas beyond the PSPs)
- Related: ballarat-strategy-2040
Gaps
- Ballarat Industrial Land Use Strategy (Connell Wagner, 2005) — referenced but not in corpus
- Ballarat Transport Strategy 2005 (Ratio Consultants) — referenced but not in corpus