The saga of the Creswick Road car park, which is now a new Officeworks building, is coming to an end as the big box store gets ready to open its doors.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The new store, which has been rebuilt next door to the old Officeworks, is set to open on April 17.
However, mystery remains over what will happen to the old site, with the owners remaining tight-lipped.
The new $3.5 million building is almost 3000 square metres - 50 per cent bigger than the old site.
In October 2023, with the arrival of TK Maxx and Country Road in Ballarat, leaders said it demonstrated confidence in the city, especially considering the large spends Country Road and Officeworks were committing to build new stores.
A long history
Before it was an Officeworks, the site was an almost 300-space car park, paid for by the council and the state government.
The investment was supposed to alleviate car parking issues after the GovHub building replaced a two-storey car park.
GovHub workers have previously told The Courier they are not allowed to use the parking underneath their building, leaving 200 spaces empty.
Plans for the Officeworks building were sent to council in April 2022, but were publicly released in August.
Council said the car park was never intended to be used long term.
Construction began on the site a year later in August 2023.
The site has been controversial in the past and the subject of major scrutiny because of delays, tenders and funding.
It is not known what will happen to the old Officeworks building, but Ballarat residents have made it known what big box stores they want next in the city.