Quarry, airport and more holding up Miners Rest plan

RESIDENTS of Miners Rest are being invited to attend a drop-in session to view and discuss the latest version of the suburb’s Town Plan.

City of Ballarat councillors unanimously approved the current version of the Plan at a meeting on Wednesday, 3 July after it was previously deferred until a number of interrelated issues were to be reviewed by council officers.

The deferred issues related to the completion of the Dowling Forest Equine Precinct masterplan, the former Boral quarry, the impact of the Ballarat Airport and a proposed northern growth area.

The required progress report was tabled at the July meeting with all four deferred issues still outstanding said Alicia Bond, President of Committee for Miners Rest.

“We are at a point now where we have made so many submissions and attended so many meetings and had so many conversations, [while] in each plan you see a very small improvement. It’s getting a bit frustrating,” she said.

Lisa Kendal, City of Ballarat Manager of Strategic Planning, confirmed a report was presented to Council on 3 July with an update on the Township Plan and progress on a number of interrelated matters.

“The report to Council details the various time frames required to progress and/or implement each of the interrelated matters, and this will be made clear in the final Miners Rest Township Plan,” Ms Kendal said.

Ms Bond, a third generation Miners Rest resident, said the Committee is of the opinion the township plan is certainly very much overdue as the last one was delivered in 1994.

“We are 25 years downstream and council has let Miners Rest be developer driven and not delivered infrastructure to keep up with the population boom,” she said.

“The quarry is now privately owned and I know the developers of the quarry have tabled significant plans to council that would incorporate the township connectivity between east to west.

“As far as the airport issue goes, with the announcement by the Federal government before the election of funding, it should be made clear what are the council’s intentions for the airport, especially for commercial use.”

Ms Kendal said the drop-in session will be an opportunity for community members to meet with council staff and discuss and provide feedback on any aspect of the Miners Rest Township Plan.

“It is expected the Miners Rest Township Plan will be finalised and returned to Council for adoption at its September meeting, along with the Dowling Forest planning controls report,” Ms Kendal said.

The community drop-in session is at the Miners Rest Community Hall, Market Street, Miners Rest on Monday, 23 July between 3-6pm. No registrations are required.