The Mair St building project will add a café and boutique cinema to the existing Visitor Information Centre and Museum, located on the foreshore of Lake Benalla.
The project, which is part of the lakeside precinct redevelopment, has divided opinion in the community.
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Some in the Rose City questioned whether enough community consultation had taken place prior to the project being funded.
However, with funding in place and concept and design ideas finalised the community is now in a position to take a closer look at the project.
BRCC will now seek suitable qualified contractors to undertake the redevelopment.
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This multi-purpose venue is set to better service the needs of both the local community, and visitors to the Rose City.
Once complete, the venue will offer a café bordered by a deck overlooking the lake, aiming to provide a relaxed, alfresco dining experience.
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It will also feature a purpose-built, state-of-the-art cinema catering for 64 patrons, plus a revamped visitor centre and museum.
The project will also include the construction of a parents’ room and toilets for Lake Benalla foreshore patrons.
An important, vital component of the extension is the redevelopment of the existing Costume and Kelly Museum.
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Mayor Danny Claridge said he was pleased to see the project go to tender.
“Once complete, we will have a revitalised community space on the foreshore of our beautiful lake for the enjoyment of locals and visitors to our great rural city,” Cr Claridge said.
In consultation with the Benalla Historical Society, BRCC has developed the concept to ensure the new space will meet the community's needs in the short, medium and long term.
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Benalla Historical Society president Pat Mitchell said the society had worked collaboratively with the council since 2019.
“This new development aligns with the society’s plans to establish a vibrant, interactive representation of Benalla’s history whilst protecting the integrity and value of the collection,” Ms Mitchell said.
It is expected that the build component of the project will take approximately six months with the new precinct open for local and visitor use by mid-2022.
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