HUNDREDS of thousands of dollars have been injected into feasibility studies and public consultations on the Civic Hall in the past four years.
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Since 2011, the City of Ballarat has had a separate consultation on the fate of the site every year, but to no avail.
Controversial plans were unveiled in 2011 to develop the site into a new civic square, community market, cafe and council administrative offices.
A $40 million price tag was put on the project and the council was inundated with objections during a 21-day public consultation period.
In May 2012, the doors to the hall were opened to the public for the first time in a decade, allowing hundreds of residents to tour the Mair Street building.
In July the same year, Melbourne-based company Village Well held a series of workshops on the issue.
The workshops found people wanted to retain the Civic Hall in some form or another.
Most were also vehemently opposed to council or commercial buildings being developed at the site.
In September 2013, during a marathon six-hour meeting, the majority of councillors voted to demolish the hall.
Days later, Cr Belinda Coates sensationally moved a motion to overturn the planned $2 million Civic Hall demolition.
By the end of 2013, further public consultation on the hall was announced.
The council was flooded with 1900 submissions from around the world and the consultation period was extended until mid 2014.
Community division and council indecision have left the Civic Hall desolate.
A resounding number of residents have deemed the building out-dated and called for it to be demolished.
But any plans to demolish it have been met with overwhelming outcry from residents, including the Save Civic Hall Group, which wants it restored to its former glory.
From 2005 to 2008 no public consultation was undertaken on the hall due to delays within the council’s tendering process which stopped plans from getting to the planning permit stage.
Deals have been sought by the council to buy the land from the state government.
All have been rejected because the council could not prove the viability of any of the concepts proposed for the site.
Various developers have shown interest over the years, but each has grown frustrated by the delays.
One by one they have pulled out after waiting too long for a decision to be made.
In 2000, the first plans to develop a hotel and convention centre at the Civic Hall site were canvassed but the council deemed the project unviable in 2004.
In the past decade, dozens of ideas have been mooted and dumped.
The boards were again ripped off the front door of the Civic Hall late last month for the Open Door Studio community sessions.
The process involves residents proposing their visions for the space with architects.
The council set aside $8 million in its budget for the Civic Hall’s design and development.
More than $200,000 of it has been spent on the latest design
process.
The City of Ballarat’s chief executive officer Anthony Schinck said he believed the council was closer than it had ever been to finding solution.
He said the newest method of consultation was the first of its kind in Ballarat.
“It uses participatory design principals which means the council has effectively handed the decision over to the community,” he said
“It empowers the community to be a part of the design process for the site, they are creating and shaping the future of the site.”
melissa.cunningham@fairfaxmedia.com.au