July 29th, 2024Advisers brought in to help repair damaged history, Ballarat

Heritage advisers were last week called in to help with the repair of a damaged historic balustrade in Ballarat.

Restoration of the historic balustrade on the Hill Street bridge, near Kilderkin Distillery may take longer than initially thought with the council engaging heritage groups to investigate the history of the metal barrier.

The metal balustrade had been damaged by a car in May, and had since been sectioned off by temporary fencing panels, with police tape remaining visible.

City of Ballarat infrastructure and environment director Bridget Wetherall said engineers were assessing the viability of removing the iron work for repair, in accordance with heritage requirements.

It was not yet known if the entire balustrade would need to be replaced or if the existing infrastructure could be repaired.

To ensure public safety, temporary fencing was now expected to remain in place while works are undertaken.