The Ballarat development that will house 40,000 people just got $8 million more expensive

Ballarat West is a growing residential precinct with a lot of money and planning behind it. It is explicitly designed to support an incoming population increase. 

At the council meeting on March 25th, the City of Ballarat decided to inject even more cash into the project. But what is that money going to buy – and who is picking up the tab? 

❓ What Happened: The mass development of Ballarat West was incorporated into the City’s planning scheme as early as 2012, with an aim to accommodate a rapidly growing population. 

Since then, costs and infrastructure plans have changed.

Council, council: In March’s council meeting, a major amendment was accepted to increase projected costs for the project by over $8 million. In total, the project is now projected to cost $19 million. 

Why’s that? The amendment was brought forward to support connectivity work within the new residential precinct.

🗺️ Where is the money going? Much of the $8 million will be spent on things like roads, crossings, and other urban needs. 

Bags on bridges: Schreenans Road Creek Crossing bridge is a key area of expense. Originally budgeted at $9 million, the cost of the bridge is now sitting closer to $17.2 million.

• The new bridge will connect the Bonshaw precinct (currently in development) to the south-west side of the city. It will be built for a single traffic lane in each direction. 

Due to this increase, another part of the project was altered to accommodate rising costs: 

• The intersection of Ballarat-Carngham Road and Presentation Boulevard was originally slated to have traffic lights installed with a price tag of $3.3 million

• In this amended plan, the intersection will be converted instead into a roundabout with a price of $1.8 million 

💲 Why is the price tag increasing? Councillor Ben Taylor, who moved the amendment, described it as a justifiable change to sustain the expected population growth the precinct will attract. 

Material and labour have additionally increased in cost by roughly 34%. 

Natalie Roberston, Director of Development and Growth with the City of Ballarat, told the Brolga the amendment was the result of a legislated review process. 

🗣️: “The review considers things like updated population projections in Ballarat West, changes in planning policy and changes in infrastructure specifications and costings.” 

Essentially, the work is getting more expensive, but it’s necessary.

Robertson said the “vital” Ballarat West project will provide around 15,000 new houses and accommodate a population of around 40,000.

🔎 Who is footing the bill? The works are funded by the Ballarat West Development Contributions Plan (DCP). 

• This plan, in simple terms, requires developers to cover the cost of installing their infrastructure. 

• It’s designed to ensure the cost of a growing Ballarat isn’t passed onto ratepayers.

• The new amendment will mean a 20 percent levy increase on residential land and 16 percent more for commercial land. 

• The changes and increased costs have created tension with developers, who say the expense of building will result in expensive home lots. 

⌚ What next: For final approval, the amendment has moved to the Victorian Minister for Planning.