Work could begin shortly on a new commercial kitchen at Civic Hall, which supporters say would help boost the landmark Ballarat venue's capacity to host events.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The City of Ballarat, which manages the Civic Hall, has just put out a tender for the installation of the kitchen.
The work would also include a power upgrade, and the installation of a lift to access the stage.
Well known local chef Peter Ford said a commercial kitchen would be "great for the city and great for the hall."
Mr Ford, who runs Peter Ford Catering, said the works would serve to enhance the capacity and versatility of the venue. A commercial kitchen would make the Civic Hall a "more usable venue" and be better value in the long term, he told The Courier.
Since the newly refurbished Civic Hall opened last year, events involving large-scale catering have involved temporary extensions to allow food preparation to take place.
The Courier understands the new kitchen would be retrofitted.
We also are excited about providing the construction industry with work during the Covid-19 crisis
- Ballarat mayor Cr Ben Taylor
The mayor Cr Ben Taylor said careful designs and consultation had taken place for the works.
In a statement he said: "We are delighted by the level of interest and use of the beautiful Civic Hall and look forward to its opening in the near future."
"We also are excited about providing the construction industry with work during the Covid-19 crisis."
The release of a tender marks a move to push on with works at the Civic Hall, where a major renovation project was finished last year.
In June 2019, councillors discussed the so-called Stage Two of the Civic Hall project, and voted unanimously for $2 million should be set aside in the 2019/20 budget for works including installation of a commercial kitchen.
At that meeting, then mayor Samantha McIntosh said she was looking forward to seeing more detail from officers about the position of the kitchen "to make sure it is delivering in the best possible way"
There used to be a commercial kitchen in the venue previously. Works are currently taking place on the adjoining GovHub site, which is designed to hold up to 1,000 state government employees.
IN OTHER NEWS
There are also works planned on the adjoining main Ballarat Library, also off Doveton Street.
The fate of Civic Hall was one of the longest running discussion points in recent Ballarat history. It first opened in 1956.
It fell into disrepair once it stopped hosting events in 2002, and was at one stage earmarked for demolition and redevelopment as council offices. That proposal ultimately fell through after community protest and the renovation plans were eventually sealed.
Works in that first stage of the project finished last year with the Begonia Ball marking the building's official reopening in March 2019.
There were a series of events that took place after the Civic Hall opened including acts such as country music singer Kris Kristofferson and children's favourites The Wiggles.
Events have ceased due to Covid-19 restrictions.
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.