Council will begin consulting with businesses throughout the shopping precinct over the coming weeks ahead of construction on the site, which is set to begin in August this year.

The developments come after the state government and council pledged $280,000 to upgrading the area which has been the scene for a number of crimes in recent months, including a brawl last week.

City of Ballarat mayor Des Hudson said the upgrades would improve the sense of safety throughout the precinct and discourage antisocial behaviour.

“The fact the location has been one of Victoria Police’s high risk locations for a while is why we’ve been able to do some redesigns which will improve visibility throughout the area,” Cr Hudson said.  

“Especially for some older residents who have been intimidated by some behaviour in the area it is really important.”

State government has contributed $220,000 of the funding for the project, with the funds coming from the Public Safety Infrastructure fund, which aims to prevent crime.  

The City of Ballarat chipped in the remaining $50,000.

A pocket park will also be installed behind the newly-renovated public toilets, to increase the functionality of the space as well as helping to reduce the potential for crime.

The approach follows a design strategy called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), which aims to minimise the amount of blind spots in a public space, while also changing the dynamic of the space through the introduction of plants.

Cr Hudson said he hoped the renovations would encourage locals to make use of the space. 

“It’s really about softening the sense of concrete jungle,” Cr Hudson said.  “The landscaping might invite people to eat their lunch or have a coffee there and make it a legitimate space.”

Public art displays will also fill the space to address the current bland landscape of the area.

Ballarat Police Inspector Bruce Thomas said any works which improved the sense of safety in the area were a positive.