Discover the success and failure of Ballarat West Employment Zone
Ballarat West Employment Zone was created about a decade ago to ensure there would be 1200 jobs in the future. Video filmed by Nieve Walton, and edited by Gwen Liu
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00:00The Ballarat West Employment Zone was created to ensure there'd be jobs for the new residents
00:05moving to suburbs like Lucas and Alfredton. In the industrial area of Wendaree, the project
00:10could be out of sight and out of mind for many, but ensuring there are jobs and industries in
00:15Ballarat for new residents increases livability and supports other businesses in the city.
00:20All three levels of government are involved in different parts of this project and everyone
00:25agrees there's significant interest in the precinct from the business community,
00:30but some are concerned this interest is not breaking ground. Planning for BeWares started
00:35between 2008 and 2012 when council noticed a decline in manufacturing jobs. At the same time,
00:42major work was undertaken to plan new suburbs to the west. The State Government Planning Minister
00:47signed off on both precincts and millions of dollars of funding started to be pledged.
00:52A decade later, there might be significant demand for the precinct, but the process to get
00:56businesses built and on the ground in Ballarat is long. It includes different expressions of
01:02interest rounds and discussions with government departments. Leaders have described the project
01:06as fundamentally broken. They want quicker action to ensure a bigger benefit for Ballarat.
01:12Others said they've learnt a lot and want to take these lessons into planning for the next
01:16employment hub. The Courier takes a look at the successes and failures of BeWares
01:21in our new series. You can read more at thecourier.com.au