Ballarat's National Centre for Photography in Lydiard Street is hoping to host crowds of up to 300 people at events, according to an amendment lodged to its planning permit with the City of Ballarat.
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The Ballarat International Foto Biennale-owned National Centre for Photography at 4 Lydiard Street South is on track to fully open in 2024 to host exhibitions, collections, workshops, community and school programs, and more.
A planning permit application seeks to increase the maximum number of patrons on site from 100, to 300 - but the maximum number would only likely be reached two or three times a year.
Under current stage works, for which a planning permit was issued on March 28, 2023, the maximum number of patrons is 100.
Works to renovate the historic building and transform it into an exhibition and education space are being undertaken in stages, with the current stage costing $2.4 million according to planning documents.
"The proposed increase in maximum patronage of the art gallery (place of gathering) will allow for increased functionality and efficiency of the operations of the National Centre for Photography," Metropol Planning Solutions wrote in the planning documents on behalf of the BIFB.
"Although the maximum patronage is proposed to be increased to 300, this level of patronage will only be achieved when major events, are taking place, and such events are only held up to two to three times per year."
During exhibition periods, the ordinary level of visitation is expected to be around 100 patrons, with a maximum of 150, and times of normal non-exhibition operation a maximum of 40 would be at the centre.
Workshop events, expected to be held every eight to 10 weeks, could see an extra 50 people.
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According to town planners, a car parking assessment has shown adequate car parking spaces available within the vicinity to accommodate visitors - including when the maximum is reached.
When completed, the National Centre for Photography, in the former Union Bank building on the corner of Bath Lane, will be home to gallery, workshop, studio, storage and other spaces.
In the 2020/21 Victorian budget, the BIFB received $6.7 million to create the new centre which sits on Lydiard Street between Craig's Royal Hotel and Sturt Street and is currently home to one of the BIFB's most landmark and accessible attractions, Lisa Roet's Golden Monkey which clings to the side of the historic building.
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