Discussions about infill and sprawl in Ballarat housing

Plus Architecture director Ian Briggs said there were blockages to designing and building houses, including financial viability and cultural perception.

As an architect he said he was always balancing the wants of different clients, between the developers, builders and future needs of the homeowners while also designing a space which both made financial sense and abided by the relevant planning schemes.

"There's often a significant gap between what is economically able to get developed because of land prices and build cost versus what a particular jurisdiction or a council says."

Mr Briggs said he would like to see more big-picture discussions about the ways we would like to see our regional cities, including Ballarat, deal with inevitable growth while delivering affordable and social housing.

"[We perceive] if it's subsidised by the government, then people who live there must not be completely worthy of having a roof over their heads," he said.

"I think that's a real prejudice that we need to get over to allow the whole of society to enjoy good housing."

As part of heritage and design week, Mr Briggs and other housing leaders came together to chat on a panel about ways to design growing regional hubs.

Mr Briggs said he hoped the event could be one of many where different disciplines were able to share ideas and insights into their specialisation.

Bryce Raworth Heritage associate director Martin Turnor said a mixture of heritage and new style design could work together to keep city centres alive and vibrant.

While you need to acknowledge the different precincts of significance, like Lydiard Street, Mr Turner said old and new also needed to be woven together and he hoped that residents could experience the positive sides of a thriving city centre.

READ MORE: More planning applications as CBD infill demand continues

"This could bring something for the community and avoid a town becoming kind of a set piece for tourists, weekend visitors or daytrippers."

Ballarat Heritage Watch president Stuart Kelly said he hoped development in Ballarat could gradually build. "I understand that Ballarat will gradually evolve and some taller buildings will eventually be built," he said.

"But it shouldn't be such a large jump from the current two to three-storey buildings in Ballarat to eight or nine..."

While Mr Kelly thought broad discussions about our growing town were important, he said these needed to be supplemented with specific rules.

"We need to have a discussion on how we want Ballarat to evolve, then we need to put in rules which make that come true and don't allow things that were completely against what the community wants."

In terms of infill in the city centre, Mr Kelley said he would like to see more London-style apartments that appeared in Webster Street where there were two homes in a three-storey townhouse.

Or other styles, like a planning application proposed for 801 Mair Street, include a frontage that pays homage to heritage while a more modern extension is placed at the back of the property away from the streetscape.

"Development around close to shopping areas is probably a way of avoiding the continual spread."

While increasing the number of infill developments has long been a priority for council, often a 'not in my backyards' mentality holds projects back.

Committee for Ballarat chief executive Michael Poulton said a diversity in housing stock was needed but other projects would need to be worked on simultaneously to make infill attractive.

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If residents are to forgo their backyard, Mr Poulton said development of public open spaces would need to be a consideration as well as a culture shift away from car dependance.

Places like the medium strip on Sturt Street, he said, could be better activated.

But also infrastructure that supports more walking, e-bikes and shared cars will reduce dependency for individual households.

When in town last week, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told the media the solution to the housing and rental crisis would be to build more houses. He said he would have more to say later in the year when they released a report.

But ongoing conversations about the look of our city are needed to curb the ongoing sprawl.

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