BWEZ Planning Scheme Amendment C166 gazetted

The Ballarat West Employment Zone is now officially zoned ready for development, following the publication of the approval in the Government Gazette.

Ballarat Mayor, Cr John Burt OAM, said the news meant the biggest investment and commercial development project in the region could continue to progress.

“BWEZ is a job and wealth creation project for our growing community. It is unique for regional Victoria in terms of the scale of economic land development. It shows that Council is determined to plan for the future of our growing community to ensure we have in place vital infrastructure, jobs and housing.

“It will create 9,000 jobs and generate $5 billion in local economic activity annually once fully developed.

“The Minister’s approval reinforces the State Government’s commitment to driving regional growth and prosperity in Ballarat.”

Amendment C166 is based on the BWEZ Master Plan, a 20 year plan to optimise the development of the 623 hectare site which adjoins the Ballarat Airport, new Western Link Road and is accessible from the Ballarat West Growth Areas.

BWEZ is recognised as a project of state significance, and is being delivered with funding through the Regional Growth Fund in a partnership between the City of Ballarat, and the Victorian Government. 

Planning for BWEZ is on track, with planning and design work expected to be complete by December 2014, meaning Stage One of the development is ‘shovel ready’.

The next steps of the project include the preparation of the BWEZ Development Plan, finalisation of the land assembly and site preparation works and securing project funding for commencement of a catalyst tenant attraction program.

Progress also continues on three catalyst projects, the Freight Hub, the Victorian Centre for Advance Materials Manufacturing (VCAMM) Innovation Centre and Cluster and the Ballarat Regional Waste to Energy Plant.

Following the Federal Budget announcement of $9.1 million in funding, the 16 hectare Intermodal Freight Hub will remove freight vehicles from the CBD and improve safety and amenity in urban areas. The detailed facility design is currently underway with the commercialisation program expected to commence in 2014.

The VCAMM Innovation Centre and Cluster project has been full scoped and a memorandum of understanding between parties has been signed. To date three funding applications have been submitted to State and Federal Governments. The Centre will establish Ballarat as a destination for innovation excellence, be a physical presence within BWEZ, incubate start-ups, support commercialisation and fast track technology transfer.

The Ballarat Regional Waste to Energy Plant continues to move ahead with the preliminary Strategic Assessment completed in June. The assessment now means that State and Federal government funding can be sought. The project is designed to provide cost effective security for the long term management of our city’s waste. Funding is needed to develop a Business Case and Commercialisation Plan for the project.

For further information visit http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/