Ballarat is expected to grow by up to 55,000 new residents by the year 2041, and our new residents will need around 29,000 new homes of different types and sizes to call home. The Ballarat Housing Strategy will provide clarity on the location and type of new housing required in our municipality and considers established areas of Ballarat alongside Urban Renewal Areas, the CBD and Ballarat's Growth areas.

Staging and release of new growth areas to the North and West of Ballarat have been addressed through the draft Ballarat Growth Areas Framework Plan which is available to view on its respective MySay webpage via the following link Ballarat Growth Area Framework.

We have a responsibility to ensure the needs of our growing and changing population are met in a way that is sustainable, equitable, and in line with community values and State Government policy. We want to ensure we achieve a balanced approach for managing residential growth while also maintaining the valued character and natural features of our city and townships.

Feedback on the Draft Housing Strategy and Neighbourhood Character Study was sought through our Community Consultation between 26 August 2023 and 6 October 2023. The details of the feedback from this consultation process have been outlined in the Submission Analysis Summary Report. This is available in the appendix section of this webpage.

Additionally, the City of Ballarat sought advice from demographers, economists, planners, and urban designers to help inform the Housing Strategy. The range of technical documents that have been prepared are available to view in the Document Library section of this webpage.

• The addition of the CBD and Urban Renewal Areas to provide a comprehensive consideration of housing supply in Ballarat.
• Modifcations to the application of Change Areas across Ballarat.
• Defining the role of Ballarat’s Greenfield areas and their contribution to housing supply and the introduction of findings of the Growth Area Framework Plan.
• Additional content to outline Ballarat’s approach to affordable and social housing, infill and growth area targets, biodiversity and climate change, infrastructure and accessibility, and heritage and character
• Revision of the Implementation Plan to include objectives and actions to achieve the outcomes of the Strategy, including the provision of further strategic work required to bring the Strategy into effect
  

Consultation included;