Ballarat's housing strategy and character study work together

City of Ballarat council will officially open its long-term housing strategy for community feedback on September 4.

The draft Housing Strategy 2023-2041 is a 300-page document which will help outline how the housing of Ballarat municipality will develop over the next 15 years, at least.

The strategy covers growth areas, infill and greenfield development and the limits and scope of these developments.

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In a separate document, council's Neighbourhood Character Study "seeks to identify important attributes of different areas of Ballarat, and to pursue preferred built forms while encouraging a diversity of housing types", according to the draft study.

Check out the locations of 'substantial change' in the character study draft:

Council development and growth director Natalie Robertson said the character study looked at a more aesthetic future for Ballarat.

"The reason we need both is because we do have areas of distinct character and those those are things we want to preserve," she said.

"We want to we want to understand our neighbourhoods and their characters and then we want to see some that we could say there is potential for change of neighbourhood character there.

"It does both - it recognises elements that you don't want to change and then it recognises elements that you do want to change."

The draft study breaks areas down into levels of change - substantial, incremental 1, incremental 2 and minimal change.

The minimal and incremental 1 change areas cover most of the municipality.

Substantial change areas include Wendouree, Albert Street in Sebastopol, Ballarat Central, and in Ballarat East, Victoria Street and surrounds.

In Wendouree there are five areas, including south of Howitt Street, which could be used for 'significant residential-led, mixed use development'; east of Gillies Street; and south of Norman Street are also areas of 'substantial change' with possible buildings between three and five storeys.

Another area in Wendouree could offer 'increased density' for townhouses and apartments.

In Sebastopol, the area east and west of Albert Street is deemed suitable for 'significant residential-led, mixed use development'.

Ballarat Central has been selected as a 'city fringe' area suitable for higher density residential development.

It was found Victoria Street could have residential development including some larger buildings up to three storeys but would need to be both 'historic and contemporary'.

Areas also classed as bush residential, bush suburban, contemporary areas, garden court, garden suburban, lakeside garden, rural residential or urban residential.

Ms Robertson said the housing strategy and character study would work together.

The housing strategy examines the wider vision of what the Ballarat community are looking for and the character study "sets a framework".

"People can feel confident that we've captured what makes their neighbourhood great or what could be changed about their neighbourhood," she said.

Ms Robertson said the community feedback would guide the final outcome of these documents which will eventually be made as an amendment to the Ballarat Planning Scheme.

"The correct information comes from the community in the end, because we really need to hear from them to make any changes to the document," she said.

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