Cr John Philips will preside over his first meeting as mayor, with the relocation of the Ballarat Visitor Information Centre and plans for the Black Hill lookout taking centre stage.

A proposal to shift the visitor information centre to the Ballarat Town Hall is what has been recommended by council officers.

 The Courier has long been an advocate of a smaller but no less important centre in the city’s most recognisable and central building.

The visitor information centre has had too many homes in recent years, all of which have been flawed in some way. 

Parking, a lack of a central location and the availability of appropriate office space has hindered the success of the information centre in recent years.

While a physical centre has become less important in the digital age, undoubtedly it is still necessary. It matters for a range of small tourist ventures as it does the larger ones and it helps sell a positive message about activity in Ballarat.

There are bound to be issues regarding the relocation to the Town Hall. Some are outlined in the report to go before the council this week, however, if the centre is re-imagined the right way, the positives outweigh the potential problems. It has been a long-running saga and it would be far more beneficial to be debating the pros and cons of our promotion of tourism than the location of its headquarters.

Speaking of seemingly endless discussion, the council will also consider the future of the Black Hill Reserve, with a new draft plan formulated.

There is potential to make the reserve much more resident-friendly but undoubtedly it won’t come without significant cost. This is where council can be at its most effective, advocating and spending on spaces and plans which create community interaction and activity, rather than considering options to the contrary, which it has done on outdoor pools.

For too long Black Hill Reserve has been put in the too hard basket.

We support the council in making a statement that the draft plan should be implemented as quickly as possible.