City preparing for Bendigo GovHub and move from Lyttleton Terrace

The City of Greater Bendigo is preparing for Bendigo GovHub and how it will continue to service residents and accommodate staff when building begins next year.

Bendigo GovHub is a Victorian Government project, which will be constructed on the site of the City’s main office on Lyttleton Terrace. City staff will need to vacate the main office and the three other buildings on the site by April 2020, with demolition expected to begin mid-2020.

The Customer Service Centre in the main Lyttleton Terrace office will be first to move, transitioning to the City’s Hopetoun Mill office on Hopetoun Street in late November/early December. 

City Director Corporate Performance Andrew Cooney said the Customer Service Centre would remain in the Hopetoun Mill office throughout construction of the Bendigo GovHub. 

“As part of the move to Hopetoun Mill, we hope to introduce new technology to streamline the customer experience and ensure we are providing services in a way that suits the needs of our customers,” Mr Cooney said. 

“We look forward to introducing some supported self-help kiosks and a concierge-type service to decrease the time spent in a queue, which will be similar to how we will work when we move into the GovHub.

“Work will soon be underway at the Hopetoun Mill office to make space for the Customer Service team and the new technology. We will ensure plenty of information is shared with the community in the coming months so as they will know when we are moving and how to find us.”

To accommodate approximately 200 other staff needing to move from the Lyttleton Terrace site, the City will enter into an agreement with the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank to lease the upper level of the Fountain Court complex, located on the corner of Pall Mall and Mitchell Street. 

Mr Cooney said a total of 16 sites were inspected and assessed to find the right location.

“A range of spaces were considered and compared in regards to size, lease cost, fitout costs, IT set up costs, number of car parks included, proximity to public car parking, timing of availability, proximity to other City offices, and limiting disruption to staff and customers,” he said. 

“Fountain Court was chosen as it has sufficient space to accommodate staff in a single location, office furniture is included, there are minimal additional set up costs including easy access to IT fibre, sufficient meeting spaces, and limited disruption and impact on staff and the community.

“Independent market analysis was also commissioned to assess the rental costs, which outlined the amount Council will pay per square meter is comparable with similar available office space in Bendigo.” 

Fountain Court also provides sufficient space for Councillors and the exact location of where they will work from will be confirmed in the coming months. 

The City will enter into a three year lease agreement with the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank with the option to extend or exit the lease as required. 

Staff will commence moving into Fountain Court from January next year.