A luxury hotel and apartment complex in the school where former Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies was taught could soon become Ballarat’s newest attraction.
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Property developers the Gull Group have lodged an application to transform the former Humffray Street State School into a 22-room ‘New York’-style hotel.
A new adjoining building on the corner of Humffray and Mair streets would be built to house six apartment-style residences, while a another new building fronting Mair Street would house three larger serviced apartments.
The project would also see the creation of two new retail premises facing onto Mair Street, as well as 22 internal car parks.
A liquor license is also being sought for the development of a bar capable of serving about 50 patrons.
Developer Cameron Gull said “we want to restore and protect the building because it is deteriorating”.
“We’ve been closely work with council for the last 15 months and we think it’s an exciting development for the Bakery Hill precinct,” Mr Gull said. “It’s a significant investment into Ballarat tourism and we think we can return (the building) to its former glory.”
Built in the late 1800s, the building operated as a school until the 1980s.
While once slated for demolition, it was purchased by private developers and has in recent years functioned as an antiques store.
Previous plans included having a day spa in the building, however this has been removed in the latest amendments.
While the proposal is currently on advertising, the group hope to begin construction by mid-2019, subject to planning approval.
Given the scope of the project, it would be expected to go before a council meeting.
Mr Gull said he anticipated the development would take about 14 months to complete once construction was underway.
The plan comes amid a flurry of major housing and accommodation developments which are either proposed or approved for construction near Central Ballarat.
A proposal to transform a 6550-square-metre block on the corner of Peel Street and Scott Parade into a giant apartment complex also went on advertising last week, with a decision expected in coming months.
If given the green light the Haymes Paint-owned block, which features the company’s original warehouse, would be overhauled to house 63 apartments and five commercial spaces at a cost of more than $35 million.
Planning documents state the facade of the original factory will remain as part of the new development.
Haymes Paint new operations manager Matthew Haymes said the concept had been well received since it was revealed in The Courier in March.
“It’s such an iconic area of Ballarat and it’s a major thoroughfare and people are delighted to see something being done with it,” Mr Haymes said. “There’s always going to be things like parking that need to be addressed, but there’s so many exciting things happening in our city and it’s a wonderful time to be apart of it.”
Early stages of the St Paul’s Way housing development in Bakery Hill are also being listed on the market. When completed the complex will feature 18 townhouses and 77 apartments at a cost of $20 million.
The condensed housing offerings form part of the City of Ballarat’s plan to encourage a 50-50 split between greenfield and infill development by 2040, compared to the current 60-40 growth rate.
Speaking to The Courier in November, RMIT Environment and Planning Professor Michael Buxton said it was crucial for councils to encourage infill growth and not “dump” residents on urban fringes.
“Why is it good for people to be living kilometres from any services, no public transport, when they could be living much closer to services to towns,” he said.
