The City of Ballarat is searching for a builder to construct the Alfredton Community Hub, which includes a new kindergarten.
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The $7.4 million project is out to tender after the council secured a $2.25 million state government grant in June.
The funded community and early years hub will be located in Donegal Drive, Ballymanus, in Ballarat's western growth area.
It will include a Neighbourhood Activity Centre with community meeting rooms and an early years hub - including a three-room 99-place kindergarten and associated facilities, outdoor areas and parking.
The council had identified the hub as a tier two priority advocacy project, stating it would enhance lifestyle, liveability and sense of community.
Works are expected to start in 2023 and be completed by 2024.
City of Ballarat former mayor Daniel Moloney said in June the council wanted to get ahead of the rapid growth in the city's west.
The council's draft community infrastructure plan projects the combined population of Alfredton, Cardigan and Lucas to increase to more than 25,000 people by 2036, up from 14,577 as of 2021.
It forecasts a 65 per cent increase in births in the area between 2016 and 2036.
"This new facility...will meet the increasing demand for kindergarten places created by rapid growth in the area, ensuring that local children have access to early years programs," a council document says.
"The new centre will take pressure off kindergarten facilities in adjoining areas. Accessible and high-quality early education services are essential to ensure positive outcomes for children with research showing that play-based learning is a powerful way to support children's development."
It is one of six community hubs to be constructed in Ballarat over the next decade.
The council plans to build community hubs in Buninyong and Ballarat Central by 2025, and Winter Valley by 2033.
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It is currently seeking a contractor to design the Sebastopol Community Hub on Vickers Street, which will include a kindergarten.
The project will involve demolition of two existing buildings, childcare centre and senior citizen centre.
The Alfredton Community Hub project received $2.25 million from the state government, $4.68 million from the Ballarat West Development Contribution Plan and the balance from the City of Ballarat.
Tender applications close on December 14.
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