The council report said development plans would ensure a staged approach that would protect environmental and heritage sites.
Ballan resident John Kowarsky has accepted the town’s population will grow. But he said the location of the proposed development site is inappropriate.
“I’m not opposed to more houses,” he said. “I’m opposed to houses in that position. It’s actually the worst position to put a residential development.”
Kowarsky believes that land south of the railway line is more appropriate for development as it offers walking access to the town centre and station, plus multiple driving routes.
He said the Werribee River, which runs along the site proposed for rezoning, can rise dramatically and flood occasionally, even though it barely flows much of the time.
Kowarsky, who lives opposite the site, said he feared that developing the area would damage the wildlife and environment, particularly the river. “We’ve still got this beautiful wetland that’s threatened by such a development.”
A flora and fauna assessment said that remnant vegetation was mostly restricted to the eastern part of the site along the Werribee River. It said the endangered gang-gang cockatoo had the potential to be found in the area, while the vulnerable little eagle was likely to be found there. Black-tailed wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos have also been recorded in the area.
Wombat Forestcare convener Gayle Osborne said residential development resulted in more hard surfaces, which would increase water runoff into the Werribee River.
“We’re worried the river will silt up and will be degraded by having the housing estate so close,” she said.
Her group is also concerned that an increased population will bring more domestic cats and dogs, which could harm native wildlife.
But another Ballan resident, Michael Ryan, said the town might get more services and shops.
“It won’t worry me having more people in the town,” he said. “You can’t say: ‘We’re here now, we’re full, we don’t want any more people here’.”
The former mayor of the Horsham Rural City Council said he had no problem with the location of the proposed development. But he insisted it should adhere to good design principles, including open space rather than houses jammed next to each other.
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Wel.Co, a partner of the proposed development, said the project had considered Ballan’s future, including infrastructure, public spaces and a housing mix that complemented the town’s character.
It said the plan included $40 million of investment from Wel.Co to deliver three local parks, wetlands, open space, playgrounds and a community facility.
The company insisted the project would improve the health of the Werribee River, as its plan included planting native vegetation and the introduction of wetlands and retarding basins to treat stormwater before it reaches the river.
“Protecting and enhancing the Werribee River corridor is a key priority in the design and delivery of this precinct,” it said.
It also noted that independent engineers had undertaken a traffic assessment as part of the plan to mitigate potential impacts.
Moorabool Shire Council chief executive Derek Madden said the council considered the amendment request at a meeting last year and resolved to seek authorisation from the state government to prepare and exhibit a planning scheme amendment. He said settlement boundaries had been set for Ballan, which guided where development should occur.
Madden said Ballan’s residential growth would go towards achieving the Victorian government’s target of 20,000 additional dwellings in Moorabool by 2051.
The council expects to receive a report to consider public submissions and is set to request the minister for planning appoint an independent panel to consider the amendment.
RMIT urban planning professor Jago Dodson said the suburbanisation of satellite towns was occurring in many countries around the world as populations increased. He said there was a risk of fragmented development that made it harder to service those communities with infrastructure.
But Dodson insisted that increased populations could deliver benefits for regional communities if governments planned development well.
“It can revitalise community organisations like sport clubs and other voluntary groups,” he said. “We shouldn’t be closed to understanding some of the potential benefits.”
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