Armstrong Street traders hoping to see greater development of Ballarat's foodie hub

Vietnamese restaurant Saigon Allee has applied for a planning permit to extend its service into the building's first floor and adjoining rear balcony, with the main focus to be on using the space for function hire.

Owner Rick Collins said he hoped the extended premises would add to both the business and the city.

"Make a nice place to go for either drinks before dinner or some drinks after dinner, maybe just to sit there and relax, sit on the balcony and look at the Town Hall clock and use it for functions throughout the year," he said.

"Over the last two years, not every industry but most industries have suffered a little bit, so if we can speed that up and get a little bit more income coming back in, and I think Ballarat is going to keep growing, so we want to make the most of it."

Mr Collins said he hoped the second level of more buildings would be better utilised to add to the vibrancy of the Ballarat CBD.

IN OTHER NEWS:

"I just think the more restaurants, the more places to eat and dine and drink in Armstrong Street and around Ballarat as well is a good thing to bring more people into this area and give it more variety, more choice. The more restaurants and more venues, the better, I think, because more people," he said.

"It would be great to see every building utilised, upstairs and downstairs, the whole lot, and just a really good vibe in the whole place of music and bars and restaurants, and just to bring it to life, which it already is, which is good, but more alive."

While an original version of the business' extension plans included a balcony dining area facing Armstrong Street, the idea was deemed unfeasible.

However, Mr Collins said he would like to see more balconies throughout the city.

"It would be fantastic if every business could, but obviously there's the structural side of things and a lot of expense and time and effort, and then the revenue that comes in, is it worth the money that you outlay?" he said.

"But it'd be fantastic to see that through the whole of Sturt Street, Armstrong Street, down the Bridge Mall, all those areas, it'd be fantastic to see that sort of stuff. Hopefully over a period of time, the next 10 years or 20 years, it'd be great to see that start to happen."

The Forge Pizzeria has its own vertical expansion in the works, with plans being developed to turn the former Jim Welsh Dance Studio into an events space.

Director Tim Matthews said there was a lot of space in CBD buildings that could be maximised.

"It's a beautiful space, so that's something that's in our plan to lodge applications and so on and go through the process of seeing if we can convert that into a much more usable space as well," he said.

"It's a dance studio at the moment and it's sort of not being utilised. So, basically, it needs a bit of an upgrade and if we can turn that into a big open event space, it's got nice, big six-metre ceilings and beautiful natural light coming in, so we're looking to do something with that probably within the next 12 months.

"It would probably also be quite good to look at some of the history and what the buildings used to be and some of those verandahs that they used to have to see if any of those can be rebuilt, a little bit like what The Sporting Globe did. You'd have to take it building by building, but it'd be a great addition if you could really activate that second level and also offer some sort of outdoor dining as well, that'd be great."

Mr Matthews said special planning considerations, particularly around parking, would help support the development of Armstrong Street as a foodie hub.

"The reality with these buildings that are old, to uphold some of that heritage, we're just unable to provide those car parks. Updating of the planning requirements would be useful in that regard for the CBD, to make sure that each venue doesn't have to keep applying for dispensation for car parking, that's a costly exercise," he said.

"The traders really want to work with the council to come up with viable options. There's a recent history of marking that work. We just hope that we can continue to do that and get the best for the city.

"I welcome that we're all stronger in that street because we're all there. People know they can change their mind when they get down there, if one place is busy, they go to another one. Armstrong Street, I think, is greater than the sum of its parts at the moment."

If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.