Ballarat Open Space Strategy
Submissions for the Open Space Strategy close at 5pm Monday 2 July 2012.
The amendment also updates the Schedule to Clause 52.01 (Public Open Space Contribution and Subdivision) of the Ballarat Planning Scheme. The new schedule introduces a percentage for public open space contributions for all subdivisions including residential, commercial and industrial zoned land.
For the purpose of the Strategy, areas such as recreation and formal parkland, conservation reserves, linkages and waterway reserves, sporting reserves, public land set aside for specific recreation purposes, streetscapes and various urban spaces would be considered as open space.
Full details of the Amendment, including proposed changes to the Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS), can be found on Council’s website www.ballarat.vic.gov.au under ‘Strategic Planning – Currently on Exhibition’, or in person at the Ballarat Town Hall, 225 Sturt Street, Ballarat.
Submissions can be sent by email to strategicplanning@ballarat.
Feedback is required by Monday 2July, 2012 at 5pm and must be clearly marked with the reference: “Ballarat Planning Scheme Amendment C141”.
- Volume 1 (draft Strategy) and
- Volume 2 (supporting documents from literature review; results of consultation process in 2007/8)
- Page 28 – profile of open spaces in Ballarat (approx 250 sites)
- Page 30 – Maps showing types of open space
- Page 37 – Partnerships (see below)
- Pages 40-42 – Hierarchy of open space
- Page 53 – developer contributions toward open space (5% or 10%)
- Pages 76-88 – Maps showing access to open space (or not) through category type
- Page 89 to end – Precinct maps (10 precincts)
- Page 95 – CBD recreation with/without access to open space [check out the Ballarat East precinct maps]
6.3.7 The City of Ballarat experiences some challenges with the provision of water bodies and drainage in open space. Given the generally flat topography of the municipality, it is a requirement of many subdivisions to have on site retention of stormwater. Often this is provided in small ad hoc sites that offer little in the way of recreation opportunities or open space values. The general preference would be for improved management and recreation potential through larger retention basins, wetlands, etc. incorporated into larger pieces of integrated open space.
6.4.4 The open space network, in particular sporting reserves, require sufficient irrigation to allow for the appropriate maintenance to an acceptable standard for the safe and practical use by the community.
6.4.5 There are existing pressures on Council to prioritise how they use the limited water resource to maintain the open space network. This pressure will continue in the immediate to medium term until an alternative sustainable solution is determined.
6.4.6 The open space network, in particular roadside vegetation, state forests, native grasslands, wetlands, creeks, linear open space parks and bushland reserves, has high environmental and habitat values. Vegetation (97%) and the natural environment (98%) were rated as either ‘important’ or ‘very important’ park components rated by respondents to the household survey.
Quantity (p45)
The amount of open space that is provided across the City of Ballarat and within each of the precinct areas.
The benchmark that is being used for Ballarat is four hectares per 1000 people (urban areas) and two hectares per 1000 people (rural areas). This includes all ‘useable’ open space such as neighbourhood parks, linkages/trails, sporting reserves and larger parks. This will provide the City of Ballarat with a useful tool to analyse the quantity of open space as a guide to overall provision, but leaves the assessment open to the other criteria of distribution, size, quality, opportunities and activities that will provide a more comprehensive analysis.
Page 46: Further, it is noted that the United Nations set an Environmental Accord in relation to Green Cites that included for Urban Nature: “Ensure that there is an accessible public park or recreational open space within 500m of every city resident by 2015”
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