Ballarat's own Haymes Paint has begun work on its new Creswick Road site, a milestone for the historic company and the next step in a radical makeover for one of Ballarat's most important thoroughfares.
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Demolition work at the former Subaru and Honda dealership at the corner of Creswick Road and Claxton Street is almost complete, and a media release notes the new showroom complex is expected to be finished in mid-2021.
It's the latest addition to the thoroughfare, with more big-box retailers building new premises in the area in the past 18 months to join anchors like Bunnings and Officeworks up the road.
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Haymes Paint officially confirmed the $4 million project on Friday.
Chairman David Haymes said in a statement it was important for the company to stay in town.
"My grandfather Thomas Jefferson Haymes started playing around with paint in Ballarat in 1890, and my father formally commenced Haymes Paint in 1935. Neither could have imagined we would still be Ballarat made and owned 130 years later," he said.
"Despite the current economic rigours, we have done this because we believe in what we do and why we do it."
Director Matt Haymes added there would be a focus on using Ballarat-based designers, builders, and suppliers for the $4 million project.
"We have all been reminded about the importance of supporting local throughout COVID-19," he said in a statement.
"The increasing support from so many retail consumers and professional trade painters has been incredible.
"In every possible instance we need to ensure we also look to support local wherever we can, and we have certainly done this in relation to construction of the new showroom."
Ballarat's SJ Weir won the tender after a process that involved "a number of local companies", the release states.
Concepts by Ballarat architect Nathan Porter show a long building, with an off-street car park at one end
The design images show a bright copper roof and an airy polished and textured concrete showroom interior.
The company will also put its current Scott Parade paint shop up for sale.
The media release states a planning permit for the Scott Parade site, which extends to Peel Street, incorporates a four-storey building with 63 contemporary residential units, and 4500 square metres of commercial space.
There were concerns about the council planning process earlier this year when the final houses on the block began demolition.
A wall featuring street art will remain, and it's understood it will be incorporated into the final design.
Proceeds from the sale will be used in the showroom project, as well as Haymes' planned upgrade of its Wendouree Industrial Estate manufacturing and head office site.
Concept drawings on Mr Porter's site show a bold design for the Scott Parade proposal, with outdoor dining suggested.
A large free car park recently opened across from the current store on Scott Parade, while on Creswick Road, several commercial buildings are available for lease close to the site - a mix of residential buildings and small businesses line that side of the road north of the site.
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"It's natural progression - it's definitely evolving into a bulky goods retail precinct, it's high exposure, retailers like it, it is centrally located and in close proximity to other like-minded retailers," he said.
With the nearby GovHub project approaching completion and more traffic expected in the area, some residents have urged authorities to review the Creswick Road roundabout, which connects to Doveton Street, Webster Street, and Market Street, and is the site of dozens of near misses.
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