Planning for the growing Ballarat community

Ballarat City Council endorsed the draft Housing Strategy for 2023–2041 for community consultation at last night’s August meeting.  

By 2041, the Ballarat municipality is expected to grow by up to 55,000 people and will need over 29,000 more dwellings. The Housing Strategy 2023-2041 will provide the City of Ballarat with a framework for managing this population and housing growth.

The draft Housing Strategy, draft Neighbourhood Character Study, and all associated documents are now available for review by the Ballarat community.

Community Engagement will commence from 4 September for residents and stakeholders to provide feedback and ask questions regarding the project.  

As a planning authority, the City of Ballarat has a responsibility to plan and accommodate housing growth for at least a 15-year period across the municipality. This draft Housing Strategy has taken into consideration current housing capacity and proposes a longer term approach to planning for the city’s housing.  

The draft Housing Strategy has been prepared by the City of Ballarat with input from planning and demographic experts to ensure the findings are cohesive and achievable. State Government guidance and laws must also be adhered to in producing the Strategy.  

New residential growth should be directed to identified areas that are well connected to amenities and have an adaptable neighbourhood character.  

The draft Neighbourhood Character Study establishes different local areas across the city to ensure that future planning controls provide protection and encourage development when appropriate.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said housing affects the lives of everyone.  

“Our city is growing, and we have a responsibility to ensure our residents have access to safe and well-located homes, that meet standards and fit in with the neighbourhood character,” he said.  

“The Ballarat Housing Strategy will enable us to ensure sufficient land is provided to enable the 29,000 new dwellings to be built.”  

Consultation will open on 4 September 2023 and concludes on 6 October 2023.  

The community can engage online and in-person. For more information visit the City of Ballarat’s Mysay page.  

Following the close of the consultation, the Strategic Planning team will collate the feedback and report back to Council for further consideration.