An iconic building in the Ballarat retail scene has finally been taken off the market, as council continues work to revitalise bricks and mortar shopping experiences in town.
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Norwich Plaza sits at the start of Bridge Mall, and with council's plans to bring cars back to the shopping strip, is in a prime position after it went back on the market in October.
Close to the Big W car park, the more than 2000 square metre block currently houses a mixture of retailers from homewares to chain coffee houses.
The building has a mixed history, originally a three-storey furniture store in the 1890s after a fire destroyed the building in 1879.
Morshed's Department Store owned the building from the 1920s into 1967, the architectural style changes with the trends of the decade.
Coles New World supermarket then moved in and then by the 1980s a makeover to the building turned into what we see today.
The big box style stayed the same with the floor plan reinvented to make way for a multiple occupier retail space, remaining over the Yarrowee River.
In April 2021, plans were before council to knock down the building completely and turn it into a 10 to 12-storey building housing retail and accommodation.
The new owners, and their intentions, are so far unknown.
A complete redevelopment could be on the cards, or retail could continue as is with city leaders hoping to draw crowds back to the retail precinct.
Property agent Gorman Allard Shelton were approached repeatedly for comment.
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