GREEN pockets surrounding Ballan’s fringes need to be protected against development, according to residents.
The call for a greater say in planning processes follows a series of council-run workshops held as part of the preparation of a Ballan structure plan.
The Werribee River should also be protected and preserved, Keep Ballan Village Rural (KBVR) spokesman Rick Wiebusch said.
Workshops were held at the town’s Mechanics Institute on March 10 and 14, with council planning officers and Department of Primary Industries representatives attending.
The structure plan aims to introduce an urban growth boundary for Ballan and outline a preferred form for the town centre, mapping out future roads, walking paths, transport pathways, public spaces and infrastructure.
KBVR members emphasised that while they were not opposed to growth, it was important that “valuable” countryside was not lost to “hills of housing estates”.
“This message came through the meetings quite loudly,” Mr Wiebusch said.
He said areas on the town’s southern fringes, close to the station and amenities, would be more appropriate spaces for development. The Weekly reported in January that some Ballan residents were worried about development, particularly housing subdivisions and structural and drainage problems that had occurred. They said areas flanking the Western Highway, close to the river, had been rezoned 20 years ago from rural residential to residential one, meaning owners could seek to subdivide into tiny blocks as small as 300 square metres.
Mr Wiebusch said it was important to protect green areas around the river.
“The life in our waterways is already at risk from increased housing run-off and flooding from inappropriate housing developments.”
Residents also expressed frustration at delays in the council’s community consultation process, with mayor Pat Griffin admitting at the time it was “incredibly slow and frustrating”.
The council has now ramped up its consultation efforts, with a new online forum launched last Wednesday. ‘Have Your Say’, a two-year pilot program, hopes to engage residents on budget proposals, planning issues, services, courses and events through forums, surveys and polls. “It’s a more immediate, socially accessible method that can be accessed any time, from anywhere,” chief executive Rob Croxford said.
