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title: Miners Rest Township Plan council: ballarat state: vic category: precinct status: adopted last_compiled: 2026-04-10 source_docs:

  • the_miners_rest_township_plan_report_-november_2019-.txt

Miners Rest Township Plan

The Miners Rest Township Plan (November 2019) is a strategic document providing a long-term planning and design vision for the Miners Rest township, located approximately 10km north-west of central Ballarat. Prepared by the City of Ballarat with assistance from Hansen Partnerships, ASR Research, and Claire Scott Planning.

Background

Miners Rest is a small but growing township on a historically significant Wadawurrung travel route between Ballarat, Lake Burrumbeet, and Lake Learmonth. The township faces multiple planning pressures including the adjacent CVLX saleyards, the Ballarat Airport, the Dowling Forest equine precinct, and potential urban growth from the Northern Growth Area. (Source: the_miners_rest_township_plan_report_-november_2019-.txt)

Key Content

Three Themes

  1. Celebrate Miners Rest’s historic and natural assets: Including Burrumbeet Creek, wetlands, and Aboriginal heritage
  2. Establish a connected and unified township and community: Internal connectivity, shared paths, boulevard planting along Howe Street
  3. Facilitate township growth and prosperity, and maintain character: Town centre development, residential growth management

Key Issues and Opportunities

  • Ballarat Airport noise and safeguarding constraints
  • Burrumbeet Creek as a natural asset and flood management challenge
  • Dowling Forest equine industry interface
  • CVLX saleyards impacts (traffic, amenity)
  • Flood mitigation works
  • Need for a town centre and community facilities

Dowling Forest Equine Precinct Interface

The Dowling Forest Equine Precinct is located on the northern edge of the Miners Rest township. The Dowling Forest Precinct Planning Controls Review (Spiirem, June 2020) found the existing SUZ13 planning controls were overly restrictive and had not facilitated uptake of land for thoroughbred training, causing significant issues for landowners including difficulties selling or financing properties. The review recommended:

  • Redefining the precinct purpose to support broader equine activities (horse training, breeding, boarding), not just thoroughbred training, while maintaining protection of the Dowling Forest Racecourse. (Source: dowling-forest-precinct-planning-controls-review.txt, §6.2)
  • Reducing the SUZ13 area by applying criteria (direct racecourse adjacency, proximity, direct access arrangements with BTC) and rezoning removed land to a new SUZ19 with the same 2ha minimum lot size but fewer restrictions. (Source: dowling-forest-precinct-planning-controls-review.txt, §6.4.2–6.4.3)
  • Replacing FZ Area A and B with new SUZ17 and SUZ18 schedules (retaining 4ha and 10ha minimum lot sizes) to provide consistency across the precinct. (Source: dowling-forest-precinct-planning-controls-review.txt, §6.4.4)
  • Amending Clause 21.07-6 (Racing Industry) to explicitly define the “Dowling Forest Equine Precinct” with a purpose statement, precinct map, and decision guidelines. (Source: dowling-forest-precinct-planning-controls-review.txt, §6.3)
  • Buffer role: The precinct serves as a buffer between the racecourse and encroaching residential development from Miners Rest, with three properties to the north (SUZ17/18/19) providing on-the-ground separation. (Source: dowling-forest-precinct-planning-controls-review.txt, §5.2)

The Township Plan identifies the need to protect the Dowling Forest Racecourse land and recognises the precinct as a buffer to encroaching urban development. Amendment C220ball was submitted for authorisation in October 2019 to implement these planning controls changes. (Source: dowling-forest-precinct-planning-controls-review.txt, the_miners_rest_township_plan_report_-november_2019-.txt)

Miners Rest North Character Assessment

The Miners Rest North Character Assessment (Claire Scott Planning, November 2019) provides supplementary advice on protecting the township character of northern Miners Rest, where recent subdivision outcomes were viewed as poor quality, lacking ‘rural character’, and having no relationship to the surrounding landscape. Key findings and recommendations:

Township Character Essence:

  • Miners Rest North sits within the Western Volcanic Plains landscape, surrounded by farmland with views to volcanic hills (Mount Rowan, Mount Blowhard, Bald Hills)
  • The settlement is characterised by large lots (majority >1,500 sqm, representing 39% of parcels), single-storey dwellings with generous setbacks, and a spacious ‘country town’ character
  • The north-western area (around Douglas Close) contains most of the smaller lots (750–1,500 sqm) and the most criticised recent subdivision outcomes

Community Survey Findings:

  • Vast majority of respondents identified a distinctive ‘country town’ / ‘old rural village’ character worth protecting
  • Key character elements: rural character, large lot sizes, views to volcanic hills, large backyards, spaces between houses, trees in gardens
  • ~45% of respondents preferred a minimum lot size >750 sqm; ~21% preferred >1,000 sqm

Building Site Coverage Analysis (4 sample areas):

  • 84% of surveyed lots have existing building site coverage of ≤40%
  • 98% have maximum coverage of ≤50%
  • Current Rescode standard of 80% maximum is entirely inappropriate for the township character

Recommendations (Option C — adopted):

  • Rezone GRZ areas of Miners Rest North to Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ), except a small Medium Density Precinct near Creek Street shops (to remain GRZ)
  • Minimum subdivision area: 750 sqm (via NRZ schedule)
  • Maximum building site coverage: 45% (reduced from Rescode 80%)
  • Minimum permeability: 45% (increased from Rescode 20%)
  • Landscaping requirements: minimum one canopy tree per 175 sqm of site area; native/indigenous species preferred; trees in front setback and secluded private open space
  • Maximum building height: 9 metres / 2 storeys (NRZ default, reduced from GRZ 11m / 3 storeys)
  • Objectives and decision guidelines addressing rural township character and out-views to volcanic landscape

Justification: The GRZ cannot achieve the desired outcomes (no minimum lot size, 11m height limit). The NRZ purpose better fits the low-scale, spacious rural character. Lot size analysis and conservative land supply analysis both support the rezoning. Similar landscaping requirements have been applied in Maroondah and Knox.

(Source: Miners Rest North Character Assessment — Claire Scott Planning, Nov 2019)

Supporting Studies Referenced

  • Ballarat Aerodrome Noise Modelling Report (To70/Kneebush, June 2018)
  • Ballarat Airport Safeguarding Study (Kneebush, July 2018)
  • Community Infrastructure Assessment (ASR Research, June 2018)
  • Dowling Forest Precinct Planning Controls Review (Spiirem, June 2020) — now in corpus
  • Miners Rest North Character Assessment (Claire Scott Planning, Nov 2019) — now in corpus

Current Status

Adopted (November 2019). The Northern Growth Area (core and expanded) is adjacent to Miners Rest, and its PSP (being prepared by VPA) will significantly impact the township.

Relationships

Gaps

  • Northern Growth Area PSP — implications for Miners Rest not yet known
  • Implementation progress on township plan actions — not in corpus
  • Miners Rest North Character Assessment (Claire Scott, 2019) — RESOLVED, now in corpus as miners-rest-north-character-assessment-nov-2019.txt
  • Dowling Forest Precinct Planning Controls Review (Spiirem, 2019) — RESOLVED, now in corpus as dowling-forest-precinct-planning-controls-review.txt

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