Plans for a wine bar could breathe fresh life into the hospitality scene along one of Ballarat's main drags.
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Planning documents for the new venue on Sturt Street have been lodged with the City of Ballarat and are currently being publicly advertised.
If approved, the wine bar would fill the currently empty premises at 405A Sturt Street, which used to be occupied by a health foods store.
Plans under consideration include the proposed construction of a new first floor that would be set over the ground floor.
The shop front would also be pushed back to give space for an undercover terrace to be installed.
The applicant told The Courier through an intermediary involved in the planning process that the venue was due to be called Ellington's with plans yet to be fully confirmed.
In a written statement, they said: "While still being planned, Ellington's will be an intimate wine and rooftop bar."
"Taking its cues from small neighbourhood wine bars in Europe, Ellington's will offer Ballarat a distinctive experience of warm and generous regional hospitality coupled with a locally sourced and international wine list."
Planning documents show the applicant is seeking to waive the car parking requirements, and well as apply for a liquor license.
According to the application, the bar would have a capacity of up to 100 people including six staff.
The daily hours of operation under the proposal would be from 11am to 11pm every day of the week.
No signs are proposed for the venue.
The wine bar would be located within a commercial zone on the south side of Sturt Street in between Dawson Street and the Midland Highway.
The address is surrounded by the Simply D'Vine gift store and The Laboratory women's clothing store on either side. The Golden City Hotel and L'Espresso are on the same block.
The application reads: "There are a number of other bars and restaurants in the strip of commercial buildings that front Sturt Street.
"This part of the Ballarat CBD is characterised by many licensed premises including restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, pubs, hotels, cinemas.
"There are a number of existing businesses in close proximity to the site that are cafes, restaurants and bars and the proposed bar will only further enhance this section of Sturt Street as being one of the main eating areas in Ballarat."
The strip is one of a number of popular culinary clusters in the city, with the restaurants of Armstrong Street just a block and a half to the north-east.
The plans have been lodged through iPlanning Services. The owner of the Sturt Street address is registered to a Port Lonsdale-based company called Palomada.
- To read or comment on the plans, see eservices.ballarat.vic.gov.au. The application number is PLP/2021/274.
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