Respond if you love the East…
Hello everyone,
below is the report delivered to Council on June 13th. We are collating responses and recommendations to present our response, hopefully at the Council Meeting on July 11th. Can you all please have a read and note your responses along with your recommendations, and then either add your comment below, email your response to info@ballarateast.net. If we are unable to address the Council Mtg then we may need to petition, either way we will let you know.
With thanks in advance for your response.
Please note this document is a segment taken from the Council Meeting Agenda for June 13th and the full document can be found at http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/about-council/council-meetings-agendas/agendas,-minutes-and-reports/council-agenda-minutes-2012.aspx
Here is the full report:
13_june_public_agenda_Ballarat East item 11.5
HELP NEEDED As expected, the yellow peril has appeared on the fence at 809 Wilson St. This lot starts just east of Fussell St and takes in a portion of Long St also. I need lots of help from the learned lovers of the east to plan a very quick strategy. It is adjacent to Canadian Forest. Closing date is about 9th August 2012. This is for a 39 LOT DEVELOPMENT.
Shame on you Ballarat Council – shame!!
East Ballarat Resident and proud too!!
I thought the report was a real letdown. It seemed to me to be summarised as “we haven’t done any work in Ballarat East, we don’t know much about it. That’s ok because it’s the same for most other areas, we don’t know much about them either. We can’t do any work in Ballarat East because we didn’t plan to so we don’t have the budget for it. Besides, if we did stuff there other areas might want some work done too.”
It’s clearly not just a problem for this Council, nothing’s been done for years. But they’ve had 4 years to do something and now they’re saying they won’t.
No mention of the koala protection overlay in the council report. I would like the block bounded by Eureka Street, Long St., York St., and Cathy St. to be returned to Rural Residential status so it could stay as large blocks for the sake of the environment, the wildlife corridor and the local character. I would like to know what other residents think.
The new application for subdivision PLP/2011/683 at 809 Wilson St is bang in the middle of this suggested area. It is on virgin land, not infill. It takes half a block in Wilson St, and also Long St, right against the forest. The traffic from this 39 lot disaster will spill out on to Fussell St, and a blind cross roads.
Having attended the community meeting earlier this year where Council officers addressed the community regarding development in the Ballarat East area, it seems like the Council officers have put the whole issue in the “Too Hard” basket and wrapped it up with the action “acknowledge that additional strategic work is required…”
There is no plan or action for the strategy. It’s just sitting there.
So with humble respect, I would suggest we:
1. Identify the ‘Ballarat East Character’ zones.
Given that amount of infill that has already occurred in a nominal Ballarat East residential zone, we look at what could be specific zones and define the character in each zone, rather than try to establish a global character.
Zone 1 bordered by Main Road to the west, Victoria St to the North, Stawell/Kline St to the East and Spencer St to the South
Zone 2 bordered by the west of Zone 1, Victoria St to Blairs Lane – Eureka St to the north, then Yankee Flat Rd to the east and Foos Rd/Clayton St to the south
Zone 3 bordered by Hummfray St north to the Western Freeway, following the Western freeway to the intersection of Victoria St at Woodmans Hill, follow the Western Hwy to Old Melbourne Rd, West along Warrenheip Rd to Eureka St, then Eureka St to Blairs Lane/ Victoria St to Hummfray St Nth again.
I believe this would enable strategic neighbourhood characteristics to be established for each zone, without compromising the characteristics of the others.
2. While it’s all well and good that the Council website is more accessible, it still gives no power to the people to maintain our neighbourhood character and that this resolution has no teeth.
3. We need a resolution by Council to actually state that a member of the Ballarat East Network is required to be on the planning approval committee for all development applications within any of the 3 zones and that the established Neighbourhood Character is the predominant guiding principle for all approvals.
Found out about BE Net from fb friend from melb!!! Amazing.
I live in Barkly St and love the character and history
of the east side of ballarat. Good to see some community
action working towards preserving the character of the area.
I’m happy to be a supporter:)