Making Ballarat Central Structure Plan

Ballarat is one of Australia’s largest rural cities, a gateway to western Victoria and a premier tourist destination renowned for its gold rush heritage, parks and gardens and vibrant cultural scene. Due to increasing population pressures, the City of Ballarat was confronted with a number of issues that demanded a clear vision for the future.

Village Well was part of a team of consultants, lead by Planisphere, who developed the structure plan, entitled “Making Ballarat Central Strategy”.

Village Well’s specific contribution to the structure planning process was threefold: leading and managing the community engagement process, providing strategic place-making recommendations and developing the project brand.

The Village Well team conducted survey studies of the town centre, including patterns of use and key assets, and researched local history and community activities. The community engagement process involved a broad range of community stakeholders, including elected members and various community groups from the arts and local business.

The research and community engagement informed Village Well’s “Place Essence” Report which in turn informed the overall CBD strategy. The Place Essence Report articulated a vision and guiding principles for the future town centre and identified ‘quick wins’ for local operators and stakeholders to implement while the longer term the CBD Strategies were implemented.

In May 2012, Minister for Planning Matthew Guy approved an amendment to the Ballarat Planning Scheme that reflected the recommendations of the Strategy and included the Strategy as a reference document.