Miners Rest town plan: Have your say on future of Ballarat's booming north

Public comment is being sought on the Miners Rest Township Plan, which is recommending that a chunk in the suburb's north be rezoned to Neighbourhood Residential.

That means blocks would have to be at least 750 sq m - or about 3.8 times the size of a tennis court. According to the Bureau of Statistics, the average Australian home is now 467 sq m - or the size of 2.3 courts.

The plan also recommends that maximum building coverage over blocks would be 45 per cent.

The proposed plan also lays out landscaping requirements and makes exceptions for the town centre south of Creek Street, which would be designated for medium density homes.

The Council said the changes, if approved, would make sure the northern section of Miners rest had larger lot sizes, protected views, low-scale residential development and increased native vegetation cover.

Committee for Miners Rest President Alicia Bond said the plan was on exhibition as a procedural matter for the Planning Minister.

"The community was surveyed in 2019 about what they wanted Miners Rest to look like - and this is the plan that came back," she said.

"The original plans were rejected many times in the Council chamber because the community was not being listened to - and although this version is not perfect, it's very much a community-driven document now.

"Overall we're quite supportive."

The plan also includes flood mitigation for a local sports oval.

She said a plan for the outer suburb's development had not been renewed since 1994 and much of the recent building had been developer-driven as a result.

"There are now small blocks in Miners Rest that have been sub-divided and subdivided again," Ms Bond said.

'It's been badly done."

The president said that ideally the plan would have been passed well before the November 26 election.

The State Government is now in caretaker mode and Miners Rest faces the possibility of a different Planning Minister signing off on the town's future..

Ms Bond said she had hoped for more local election commitments - and from more parties - given the suburb was in the marginal Ripon electorate.

She said at this stage the Liberals have promised a community hub including ovals, playgrounds and facilities for netball, cricket and tennis.

The Miners Rest Township Plan will be on public display until December 19.

The issue will return to a Council meeting in early 2023.

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