The major preservation battle underway in the regional city of Ballarat to prevent the Civic Hall, constructed in 1953 to a design by prominent local architect Les Coburn, from demolition by the Ballarat Council took another turn recently. Council received over 3,000 objections to its proposed demolition.
Now the State government has entered the issue, with the Premier of Victoria announcing that he will re-locate a major government department , VicRoads, from Melbourne to a building on this site in Ballarat IF his government is returned at the next State government elections in November this year.
As a result the Council has deferred any consideration of the demolition until after the election. The best news is that the Council has announced that its officers are to examine the possible adaptive re-use of the hall, which was a major point of the objection lodged by ADMS and other objectors. Council has also agreed to open the hall to allow a community advisory group to meet there. We are hopeful and will continue to work with the Save Civic Hall group in Ballarat.
