Council officers first revealed the plan to reopen the mall to traffic back in May last year, heralding a new focus on rejuvenating the area.

Council has budgeted a total of $15 million to be invested in the area over the next three years.

Now, the final Bakery Hill Urban Renewal Plan - which looks at the entire 70-hectare area of the CBD running from Eastwood Street to the railway precinct in the north - will be considered by councillors next Wednesday (October 30).

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It includes concepts for large-scale residential projects for the area - which Ballarat strategic planners hope may help boost the population of the CBD by up to 5,000 residents - but council officers say these are only likely to fully take shape years in the future.

It follows a period where the public could have their say on a draft plan, which came out in August. Those plans, at the concept stage, illustrated how residential complexes could one day stand on privately owned retail sites such as the that occupied by Big W.

The plan to reopen the pedestrian mall is just one of several short and long-term measures to breathe new life into a historic part of the city that council officers say "has lost its way" in recent years.

The renewal plan says early works could begin immediately if the plan is approved.

However, according to council officers, much of it is likely to be at the design and scoping phase with little physical work beginning in Bakery Hill until later next year.

Architecture firms have tendered to take part in a design competition to map out how parts of Bakery Precinct could be remodelled: Little Bridge Street, Curtis Street and Bridge Mall.

According to James Guy recent community feedback has focused on the sort of experience people want to have.

"That's led to the design parameters, which we will get a number of different firms to apply and see what that looks like."

He said around three options would be considered, with one to be approved in the first quarter of next year before workmen start re-shaping the area.

Moves to re-introduce traffic have previously been considered but shelved after being poorly received.

The retail precinct has been car-free since it opened in 1981, but with many closed shops in the mall, council officers report a greater appetite for change this time.

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However, the idea is still by no means universally supported by traders with a petition recently doing the rounds .

The renewal plan also describes how the area might change further in the future, with council pushing to attract major investment for residential developments designed to get more people living in heart of the city. Mayor Samantha McIntosh says there has been significant investor interest in the area.

Infill development is a significant part of the Ballarat Strategy, with an aim of 50 per cent of new residences being built in existing built-up areas.

A potential new park along the Yarrowee River, and a redevelopment of the area south of Little Bridge Street and east of Peel street are also part of the long-term vision of the plan.

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