Have your say on the future of the Brown Hill Recreation Reserve

The City of Ballarat is asking the community to have its say on the draft Master Plan for the Brown Hill Recreation Reserve.  

In July 2021, the Brown Hill Progress Association (BHPA) undertook some initial community engagement to understand the community appetite for changes to the Brown Hill Reserve. 

Now the City of Ballarat is looking to increase the depth of its understanding of usage of the reserve with a round of general community consultation. 

A big consideration for the new Master Plan is prioritisation of ideas to ensure the users of the reserve are having their most wanted needs met first. 

All suggested improvements and changes will be recorded and analysed in the Master Plan report. 

This Master Plan will be a guiding document that clarifies and identifies improvements and future projects for the reserve and will be used by Council to inform future capital works, pending availability of funding. 

City of Ballarat North Ward Councillor, Peter Eddy, said the consultation process is imperative to getting the final Master Plan right.  

“As councillors, we have a responsibility to listen to the needs of our residents and really understand what it is they want from our current and future plans,” he said.  

“The Brown Hill Recreation Reserve is much loved by the local community and for many it is the heart of the suburb, so we want to make sure the people of Brown Hill and the wider Ballarat community are part of this Master Plan development process. 

“I would like to thank the Brown Hill Progress Association for their hard work in laying the foundation for this consultation and their ongoing commitment to improving the recreation reserve.” 

A drop-in session will be held at the Brown Hill Recreation Reserve on 28 June from 4pm to 7pm in the Pavilion (Reid Court, Brown Hill) where community members will be able to meet with councillors and project managers to discuss their priorities for the Master Plan.

An online survey will also be available via mySay from 24 June to 15 July for those who wish to provide their input but are unable to attend the in-person session.