The massive Ballarat hospital redevelopment project has taken a step forward, with Lyons Architecture appointed as principal architect for stages two and three.
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Construction work on the $541 million project is expected to get under way next year.
The state government confirmed the Lyons appointment by the Victorian Health Buildings Authority, with LCI appointed as principal engineers.
Both Lyons and the VHBA were contacted for comment, as well as Ballarat Health Services, but none was received by deadline.
Stage two includes the "central energy plant", which was re-prioritised and given an additional $80 million in funding in December, as well as education and training and pharmacy and pathology facilities.
Stage three, a new multi-level tower, will include the new emergency department, theatres, and procedure rooms, 100 new inpatient and short-stay beds, and a new women and children's hub.
The full redevelopment at the existing site is now expected to be complete by 2027.
A community consultation summary document released earlier this year noted 94 per cent of respondents said emergency treatment is the health service most important to them at the hospital.
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The desperate need for more free parking was a "common response" to the survey - "(r)esidents expressed concern about cars filling up local streets and called for adequate parking to cater for the growing Ballarat population," the document states.
"Once completed, the upgraded hospital will have the capacity to treat at least 18,000 more emergency patients and an extra 14,500 inpatients per year," the feedback document states.
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