THE City of Greater Bendigo council is looking at using the same strategy to build its new offices as it used with the controversial multi-storey car park.

Last week the Bendigo Weekly revealed the council was considering plans for a $27 million, five-storey development on its Lyttleton Terrace site.

In response to that story, mayor Julie Rivendell said council would not consider funding the entire project itself.

Instead, Cr Rivendell said the council was investigating a private-public partnership.

Such a partnership has seen the construction of the much-needed multi-storey car park yet to even enter the planning process, even though construction was expected to begin last year.

"Instead we are looking at ways to work with the private sector so that we won’t need to spend large capital sums on an office project," she said.

"We are very keen to explore different models for leasing office space similar to the practice adopted by most private sector businesses and some other progressive Victorian councils.

"Although we are only at the very beginning of our investigations, there are many reasons why we need to progress this project."

Cr Rivendell said the council was paying $200,000 a year rent and costs for the Hopetoun Mill building which had reached its capacity.

"Anyone who has ever come to the main Lyttleton Terrace office only to be redirected to another building will realise the difficulties we face in having staff spread over so many locations," she said.

"We are also facing increasingly high maintenance costs on our ageing Lyttleton Terrace building and some of our other office buildings are in poor condition.

"This might not be a popular project, but it is a necessary one that does need to be explored."

Cr Rivendell’s predecessor, David Jones, took a different view when the issue last hit the headlines in August last year.

The then-mayor said the idea was not on the council’s agenda.