The driver of the 300 Mair Street project was always to unlock a key site in Ballarat’s Central Business District for commercial development and job creation. 

 This site can yield a suite of commercial developments that will deliver almost half the required commercial space for Ballarat’s CBD over time with the capacity to house up to 1,500 new jobs and up to 1,000 car parks.  

Such development is integral  to future investment, commercial expansion and employment opportunities in  Ballarat’s  central business district, bringing significant benefits to the city’s retail and hospitality sectors.

 As part of the masterplan process for the site, Council considered opportunities for adaptive re-use of the existing civic hall building for conversion to Council office space.

The largest factor in not pursuing adaptive re-use was that retaining the hall substantially reduced the capacity to un-lock the site to achieve additional developments outside council’s requirements.

We have had discussions with Banyule City Council about the Centre Ivanhoe, and from our understanding is a terrific venue that meets a specific need in that location.

 We know that the area around that venue is not well serviced by exhibition and conference spaces, with the nearest equivalent venue being the Camberwell Civic Centre, some four suburbs away

By contrast, Ballarat and the surrounding region is already serviced by a number of successful conference and exhibition venues.

 Since the closure of Civic Hall in 2002, there has been no demand for use of the hall.

 Council has resolved that its future priorities for the sector are Her Majesty’s, Art Gallery, the rejuvenation of the Ballarat Town Hall “A” Hall, and Eureka Sports and Majors Events Development to incorporate a 3,000 m2 indoor exhibition and conference space.

 Feedback on Council’s projects can be emailed through to ballcity@ballarat.vic.gov.au