Nigro Group and Plus Architecture respond to plans for seven-storey Lydiard Street 'Ballaarat Gateway'

Among the latest proposals to come across City of Ballarat's desk regarding infill development is an application for a seven-storey residential building and a five-storey office space on 116-122 Lydiard Street North and 8 Mair Street, respectively, by Ballarat-based Nigro Group.

It continues a growing appetite for infill development with 100 per cent of first and second releases sold for Hygge Property's 61-apartment block touted for Lyons Street North.

Last year when their Davey Street Nightingale Ballarat project was opened it had sold out and this has was followed by further planning for a Humffray Street South project on the Robert Sim's site by the group.

Roger Permezel, a spokesperson for Nigro Group, said such developments - including the one put forth by his company - are vital in catering to the city's changing landscape.

"It's a reality in this day and age that we are going to need a different type of building to meet the demands of a growing regional city," Mr Permezel said.

"It's what councils and planners need to do to get ahead of the game."

Mr Permezel said, while he understood the mounting concerns around ensuring Ballarat's heritage was kept in tact, he assured residents Nigro Group's latest plan took into account all information available to create a complex that was appropriate in all facets.

This he said, included responses from the VIctorian Planning Authority's (VPA) Ballarat Station Southside Precinct Master Plan community feedback 2021, which amassed 211 survey responses.

These submissions cited restoration and maintenance of heritage buildings and an increase in amenities and community infrastructures as key priorities.

He said heritage was pivotal for the development and the reason why Nigro Group sought expert advice from former Ballaratian, now Melbourne-based heritage conservationist, Bryce Raworth.

Similarly, Plus Architecture's co-director Ian Briggs, whose company is spearheading the design of Nigro Group's vision, said their plans had been shaped by their Ballarat-born staff members.

"We wanted to create a contemporary looking building for Ballarat. However, we understand that there's clearly a very strong and important historical context in Ballarat of beautiful buildings," Mr Briggs said.

"So we looked at the history of Ballarat, and we informed ourselves in the fact that there's two sides of Ballarat. There's the side that is west Ballarat, which is beautiful Victorian architecture that has a very stately sort of stone looking quality to it and then there's east Ballarat, which is more about the mining history down the escarpment, which is marked by Camp Street and our site.

"So in our eyes we've brought together aesthetically, the west and the east, the heritage that we love and protect on the west side, as well as the mining history on the east side, into one building form because it sits on that transition point where it is east meets west."

Mr Permezel said Nigro Group had also engaged in several sessions with Ballarat First Nations peak body, Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (WTOAC).

He said the consultations had been fruitful with Nigro Group responding to concerns from the Indigenous organisation.

Mr Briggs said the design blueprints were set to include a variety of Aboriginal markers including an Indigenous colour scheme as well as digital-based interactions.

"When we engaged with the local First Nations representatives, they were really interested in the way the building could be used as an interpretive tool for visitors and users alike," he said.

"So we're looking at colors that represent the different seasons of the local groups."

He said this would be explained through a special phone application which would be accessed through QR codes dotted throughout the complex. Mr Briggs said building names would also pay homage to traditional custodians.

Mr Permezel said the complex would not only help bolster tourism in the region, which has continued to struggle particularly over the summer period, but it would also help address the demand for high-end work spaces.

"You'll be aware of the way people's workspaces and work habits have changed brought about by COVID. So we've been watching those sorts of behaviors in terms of what's likely to happen with the knees for office space in Ballarat," he said.

"One of the things that our survey showed us is that Ballarat needs more of a high-end office space.

"So what we're doing there is picking up on a need for a higher-end office space and that's important to support an increase in economic activity in Ballarat."

However, he said overall the main focus of the project is to help solidify the region's future.

Barbara Norman is a University of Canberra urban and regional planning emeritus professor.

While she said she was unable to speak specifically on Nigro Group's plans, she said she was supportive of infill developments so long as they adhered to community satisfaction and relevant heritage permits.

"Regional towns like Ballarat are coming under increasing pressure to manage urban development and so it's very important to get the key processes and principles in place to be able to do that in a sustainable way," Professor Norman said.

"Issues such as heritage, climate change, public access, street frontages, good urban design, all those factors need to be considered very carefully and in consultation with communities.

"And if they are about more intensive use, and infill of existing urban areas, in regional centers, and they can meet a number of community objectives, like being next to the railway station, like being next to other activities, as long as it meets good urban design, preferably carbon neutral development and has good street frontage then I think it's very good."

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