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The Urban Development Program (UDP) identifies land as it is transformed from paddocks (englobo land) to lots for homes (titled lots).
Greenfield land
Residential greenfield land is former rural land on the fringe of the existing urban area that is typically developed for detached houses. The availability of englobo land acts as a stock of future residential lots.
As of June 2023, Ballarat’s greenfield land has the capacity to produce around 41,146 residential lots. These lots are at different stages of development:
- 1,619 proposed greenfield lots in the process of being subdivided.
- 9,527 lots from englobo land – zoned for residential use.
- 30,000 lots from unzoned englobo land – requires strategic planning or rezoning.
In the 12 months to June 2023, 1,672 greenfield lots were titled across the growth areas, more than the 1,265 lots titled in the previous financial year.
Major residential infill
Major infill are residential sites that are parcels of land in previously developed areas, over 1 hectare and expected to yield 10 or more residential lots. There were enough potential major residential infill sites for an estimated 1,214 residential lots.
Estimated lot supply, June 2023
| Area | Unzoned | Zoned | Proposed | Total Supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Western Growth Area | 7,000 | 0 | 0 | 7,000 |
| Northern Growth Area | 9,000 | 0 | 0 | 9,000 |
| West Growth Area | 0 | 8,839 | 1,462 | 10,301 |
| Western Growth Area | 14,000 | 0 | 0 | 14,000 |
| Brown Hill | 0 | 608 | 79 | 687 |
| Miners Rest | 0 | 0 | 61 | 61 |
| Remainder | 0 | 80 | 17 | 97 |
| Greenfield Total | 30,000 | 9,527 | 1,619 | 41,146 |
| Major infill | 0 | 1,002 | 212 | 1,214 |
| Total | 30,000 | 10,529 | 1,831 | 42,360 |
Greenfield lots with a title
A titled lot is serviced by core infrastructure such as roads, water, drainage, and electricity so a dwelling can be built. Since 2015 an average of 1,053 lots have been titled per year in Ballarat, nearly all in the West Growth Area. Since 2016 the number of titled lots has generally been increasing.
Titled greenfield lots
Size of greenfield lots
The size of greenfield lots can change estimates of future supply. Since 2018 the proportion of larger lots over 650 m2 has declined from nearly 25% to 6%. Over the same period lots between 300 to 499 m2 have increased from 25% to 61%. The decrease in titled lot size informs the UDP’s estimate of the number of residential lots which can be produced from future greenfield land. This indicates that growth areas may have increased capacity to accommodate residential development than previous estimates.
Percentage of titled greenfield lots by size
Years of greenfield residential supply remaining
Years of Greenfield supply remaining is a calculation of the total estimated stock of lots divided by the average number of lots being titled per year. These estimates of the number of years of supply are based on the average rate of lots released over a longer-term time period (between January 2015 and June 2023) and a shorter-term time period (between January 2021 and June 2023).
| Lots titled per year | Zoned lot supply | Zoned years of supply | Zoned and unzoned lot supply | Zoned and unzoned years of supply | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short term | 1,507 | 11,146 | 7 | 41,146 | 27 |
| Long term | 1,053 | 11,146 | 10 | 41,146 | 39 |
Major infill is not included in the calculation of greenfield years of supply.
This estimate is a guide to future consumption of residential land. Future estimates will change as land is consumed, but also as the expectations for density and or built form in the greenfield areas evolves over time.
Page last updated: 24/06/24