The tender process is currently open for the Buninyong Streetscape Project, which will upgrade the footpath and parking on Warrenheip Street and parking and landscaping on Learmonth Street.

Businesses on Warrenheip Street, between Forest Street and Eyre Street, will be able to take advantage of a new footpath area which is hoped to be better suited for outdoor dining, while parking will be shifted from parallel to angled to add more parking and make entry and exit easier.

As part of the works, the road level of Warrenheip Street will be lifted to closer to the existing footpath level to improve access for motorists and pedestrians.

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At Learmonth Street, the existing area outside the Crown Hotel will be upgraded with formalised parking and new landscaping. It will also be turned into a one-way thoroughfare with access back onto Learmonth Street.

Both areas will also have new bluestone walls to match the existing walls at the Learmonth Street-Warrenheip Street roundabout.

City of Ballarat south ward councillor Ben Taylor said the project would cost about $1 million and was co-funded by council and the state government.

"When you come to Buninyong down that stretch, you've got a lot of businesses there, but it's not level, getting in and out of cars to get into the businesses like the post office or the cafes is really steep, it's grass, it's muddy," he said.

"A prime example is somewhere like the cafe there, Maggie and Kate, you would actually be able to put out some tables and chairs and they're actually level without tipping over and falling into the street. So there's a huge opportunity by doing that.

"It's a bit of a concrete jungle as well through there, and it's been like that for so many years. You've got cracks, you've got those type of things that have been fixed over time, but it needs a really good facelift to make it better and more usable for the businesses that are there and the community then benefits from that as well."

Cr Taylor said while the works would be of some nuisance to businesses, it would be outweighed by the benefits upon completion.

"They've been involved in the project now for a long time, it's probably been a good 12 months through this project with the community, but the businesses have come to a really good spot to understand the benefits. As long as council can minimise that pain, there might not be as many parks directly out front, but people can still park in the side streets and walk around."

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