Demolition permit lodged to take down the Civic Hall

By FIONA HENDERSONJan. 31, 2014, 11:19 p.m.

A PLANNING permit application to demolish the Civic Hall has been lodged with Ballarat City Councils statutory planning department.

A PLANNING permit application to demolish the Civic Hall has been lodged with Ballarat City Councils statutory planning department.

The application was prepared and lodged yesterday by Harwood Andrews Lawyers on the councils behalf.

It will go to the council for a decision in late May or early June.

Five documents are now available for public viewing on the councils website, ballarat.vic.gov.au.

They include a planning permit application, an application cover letter, a December 2013 heritage impact statement, a town planning report and a survey plan.

In the application letter, Greg Tobin of Harwood Andrews raised several issues, including the Civic Halls heritage significance, whether it is appropriate for demolition to occur without replacement and whether the building is structurally sound.

The application states the Civic Hall, notwithstanding its prominent location and considerable built form, makes only a relatively minor contribution to the precincts heritage significance.

It also says significant expenditure would be needed to restore the building to meet current regulatory requirements and operational needs.

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Demolition permit lodged to take down the Civic Hall