Medium Growth – Creswick will continue to experience residential growth that is carefully planned to take advantage of the town’s heritage and streetscapes while considering flood and bushfire prone land. Improvements to town centre streetscapes and measures to manage the impacts of traffic, particularly freight, will add to the town’s liveability. Daylesford Town Contain Growth – Daylesford will continue to build on its strength as a tourist destination. Better public transport options will need to be considered as will freight movements through the town. Urban expansion is not envisaged to occur beyond current boundaries. Various environmental assets and potential natural hazards need to be taken into account. The town will seek to provide better housing affordability and greater choice. Moorabool Shire Year – 2011 Population – 29,400 Year – 2021 Population – 36,000 Year – 2031 Population – 43,000 Bacchus Regional Centre Major Growth – As the second largest settlement in the region, Bacchus Marsh will need to ensure it provides the facilities and services to manage continued growth. Transport links, particularly new north-south routes and public transport options will also need to improve. Over time Bacchus Marsh will continue to strengthen its local employment focus to limit the need for residents to commute to Melbourne. Ballan Town Potential for population growth needs to be assessed. There will be an emphasis on providing local employment opportunities. Population growth will need to be carefully managed to protect the town’s strong historical and village character within a rural setting and environmentally sensitive landscape. Pyrenees Shire Year – 2011 Population – 6900
DELIVERING REGIONAL GROWTH The Central Highlands Regional Growth Plan has identified a broad series of actions that, over the next 30 years, will help realise the vision for the region. Some of these things will happen almost immediately, others will evolve over time. In general, those living and working in the region will start to see: population and economic growth focused around major urban centres in Ballarat, Bacchus Marsh and Ararat, supported by infrastructure planning and investment the continued emergence of a knowledge economy, with higher education, technology and research uses encouraged to grow better transport linkages between towns within and outside the region continued growth of the tourism industry with better coordination between key areas and visitor experiences, working to create a regional tourism approach, rather than individual attractions better services and facilities in centres that are easy to get to greater recognition, protection and support for key agricultural resources and rural industries protection of environmental assets with deliberate strategies to enhance water quality and explore alternative energy sources actions to provide for more jobs closer to home to limit the need to commute long distances managed growth in towns subject to natural hazards such as bushfire and flood support economic opportunities around cultural heritage, the built and natural environment. FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION Central Highlands Regional Growth Plan Central Highlands Regional Growth Plan Background Report Central Highlands Regional Strategic Plan 2010