Ballarat's often dubbed 'ugliest' building is finally getting some attention and it looks like time has run out for its iconic broken clock.
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Bridge Mall cornerstone Norwich Plaza officially came under new management this week, with its last remaining tenants given six months to vacate before internal demolition works start.
The new managers, Melbourne-based retail property professionals RetPro, were in town on Tuesday introducing themselves to retailers and outlining plans to refurbish and renovate the 3500 square-metre building, which has more than 200m of frontages but has sat largely vacant in recent years.
The new owners, Bridge Street Ballarat Holdings Pty Ltd, are understood to be redeveloping the centre to the tune of at least $10 million, with one major retailer proposed to take up the entirety of the first floor and five to six retailers operating from the ground floor.
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Existing ground floor tenant Bed Bath and Table is believed to be staying put, but others - an Indian takeaway, 24-hour gym, and cafe - look set to go.
Concept plans sighted by The Courier on Tuesday feature a building similar in shape and size to the existing building, but with its distinctive yellow steel facade and lichen-covered awnings replaced with off-white cladding.
The infamous Grenville Street/Bridge Mall corner clock face - which has for years been stuck on 4.40 - is not included in some of the proposed designs.
A new section of roof and demolition of internal partitions are planned but other parts of the building will be retained.
Sections of the facade were recently removed as part of preparation for building works, believed to be starting early next year.
Red and white bricks could be seen through several small squares cut into the facade this week.
The building was voted Ballarat's biggest eyesore in a 2016 Courier poll, outranking Chatham and Eureka Houses.
A proposal to demolish the site entirely and replace it with mixed retail and accommodation was submitted for council approval in 2021 but failed to get beyond the planning stage.
Before it became Norwich Plaza as part of the Bridge Mall concept in 1981, the building was home to a Coles New World, Morshead's department store, and Dickins Self Service Grocery.
Three-storey furniture store Robert Nicholl and Co Drapery, also known as Nicholl and Allen and before that WM Bean and Son, is the earliest retailer known to have traded from roughly the same site.
News of the building's sale earlier this year - after an attempted 2018 sale fell through - boosted hopes of a much-needed makeover but the new owners have kept any plans tightly under wraps.
Meanwhile the City of Ballarat has forged ahead with an $18.6 million plan to redevelop the rest of the mall, including reopening Bridge Street to one-way eastbound traffic and installing a $1 million playground.
Those works are expected to start imminently and take about 12 months to complete.
RetPro assumed management and leasing of the plaza on behalf of its new owners on July 3.
Its company website describes its expertise as shopping centre management, retail advisory and master planning, leasing, finance and industrial assets.
Previous projects include Melbourne's Spencer Outlet Centre, Gippsland's Mid Valley Shopping Centre, and Dandenong Plaza.
"In collaboration with clients, we deliver outcomes underpinned by a simple strategic goal: to evolve, improve and enhance the retail centre," the website states.
"We have a strong proven track record for driving commercial excellence for our partners for over 13 years," it continues.
RetPro's regional centre manager Mark Tannahill confirmed the firm had been working with the new owners for a number of months but declined to comment further.
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