BUILDING AND PLANNING
In this section:
PLANNING NEWS
February 2012: Ballarat Planning the Best in Victoria!
A report presented to the City of Ballarat’s Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday Feb 8th 2012 revealed that planning applications in Ballarat are being processed faster than regional and metropolitan councils. Read on....
January 2012: Guide to Native Vegetation and Planning
- Thinking of buying a bush block?
- Building a dream home for your tree change?
- Maybe extending your home or shed area?
- Will native vegetation need to be removed?
We all know that a building permit is a necessary part of the process, however, did you know that you might need a planning permit to remove native vegetation?
In some cases, people are unaware that a permit may be required and may not have considered impacts on native vegetation when buying their block or designing their building. This may mean a lot of back and forth with the council to discuss how the design might better minimise impacts.
The “Before you buy or build: a guide to native vegetation and planning” brochure has been written for landowners and explains what native vegetation is, why we need to conserve our native vegetation, the legislation that protects native vegetation, and the process they may need to go through with Council/DSE when applying for a permit
For further information on our native wildlife and vegetation go to: How residents can help conserve native wildlife & vegetation.
December 2011: Planning for the Ballarat West Growth Area Newsletter
The City of Ballarat aims to keep you informed as much as possible in planning for the Ballarat West Growth Area. For a brief update on the Growth Area, Employment Zone and Western Link Road, download the December Newsletter of 'Planning for the Ballarat West Growth Area'.
Planning for the Ballarat West Growth Area December Newsletter
For more information on the Ballarat West Growth Area, click here.
May 2011: Alfredton West Precinct Structure Plan Approval
The Alfredton West Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) has been approved by the Minister for Planning, the Hon Matthew Guy.
The Alfredton West PSP was prepared by the Integra Group in coordination with Council and will guide the first stages of development for the recently named suburb of Lucas.
The Alfredton West Precinct is approximately 325 hectares to the west of Dyson Drive that will accommodate around 11,000 new residents and over 3,900 dwellings. Approval of the plan enables development to occur in the precinct and delivers a significant addition to residential land supply in Ballarat to support housing delivery.
The Structure Plan forms part of the land earmarked for urban development on the Ballarat West Growth Area Plan that was adopted in September 2009. Council is currently preparing precinct structure plans for the remaining three precincts within the Growth Area.
If you have any questions or require any further information regarding the Alfredton West PSP, please contact the Strategic Planning Unit on (03) 5320 5536 or strategicplanning@ballarat.vic.gov.au.
Alfredton West Precinct Structure Plan (17,274 KB)
For more information regarding the Alfredton West Precinct Structure Planning, click here.
April 2011: Amendment C149 - Dowling Forest Precinct Master Plan
The City of Ballarat and the Ballarat Turf Club have developed a Master Plan for the development of the Dowling Forest Racecourse precinct. The report identifies a number of key initiatives including an amendment to the Ballarat Planning Scheme. The purpose of this amendment is to better protect and facilitate privately owned land surrounding the racecourse for horse training facilities and associated dwellings.
Read more....
Februay 2011: Your Guide to Living with Koalas Brochure
Click here to download the brochure (2,895KB)
The City of Ballarat launched the brochure 'Your Guide to Living with Koalas' on Monday 7th February 2011 at the Ballarat Wildlife Park.
The brochure explains the the Koala Overlay and the various things that the community can do to help protect koalas and their habitat among other things.
The brochure is a product from the Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management Parts 1 and 2, 2006.
Koala Plan of Management Parts 1 & 2
The Study, prepared jointly by the City of Ballarat and the Australian Koala Foundation, includes actions aimed at providing for the long term survivial of the koala population. The Study maps those areas in the municipality that are of primary and likely habitat for the koala.
Koala habitats to be protected are covered by the Environmental Significance Overlay, shown on the Planning Scheme map as ESO5. Schedule 5 (Koala and Koala Habitat Protection) to the Environmental Significance Overlay details the controls that apply to land identified as primary or likely koala habitat.
You can find out if your property is in the Environmental Significance Overlay by creating a Planning Report at: http://services.land.vic.gov.au.
The koala habitat study and Schedule 5 to the Environmental Significance Overlay can be viewed below:
Ballarat Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management, Part 1 2006 ( 1.37MB)
Ballarat Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management, Part 2 2006 (2.04MB)
Schedule 5 (Koala and Koala Habitat Protection) to the Environmental Significance Overlay