The City of Ballarat will unveil a new approach to outdoor dining in some of the CBD's most high-traffic areas on Wednesday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Construction crews were seen assembling the glass dining areas on Sturt Street, between Dawson Street and Doveton Street, on Tuesday afternoon.
A second area has been set up on Armstrong Street.
Understood to be organised by council with support from the state government, the new temporary spaces include lighting and protection from the elements.
Set-up on car parks, they will be removed after Easter, unless demand continues.
Higher Society owner Rhys Jeffrey said it was "a brilliant opportunity" for his business as it rebuilt from COVID-19's impact.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW
"It's to get more people back into the central part of Ballarat - with the good weather coming up as well, and the restriction for having so few inside, it's giving us an opportunity to create spaces for people to come and support the hospitality industry," he said.
"We wanted something to allow us more space to go back to our maximum capacity again, (council)'s had something in the pipeline for a while, and now it's all come together."
The Sturt Street space will be split into three for use by customers at Europa, Higher Society, and L'Espresso, he said.
"I was questioning the loss of parking, but I went down to Melbourne, you can never get a spot in front of your favourite cafe there," Mr Jeffrey said.
"You've got parking here either side and the multi-level - with the good weather, it's a blessing in disguise, it gets people out and stretching their legs."
Depending on the reception through Ballarat's summer, the new spaces could mean big things moving forward.
IN THE NEWS
"We'll be opening nights now, just because we've got this beautiful weather," he said.
"If they go well, maybe there's potential for them to build it out, like in front of The Forge.
"It's a really good opportunity for us."
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.