Laneway naming plan a nod to Warrnambool's historic businesses

The entrance to the car park off Timor Street would be renamed De Grandis Lane under the pproposal, honouring the family who ran the sportsgoods store there for 114 years until it closed in 2011.

The laneway that runs behind the shops on Timor Street could be called Dispensary Lane - a nod to the Kennedy's Drug Depot that operated there in the 1880s.

Myers Planning Group director Steve Myers came up with the ideas after he started to develop the vacant block off the laneways and discovered it had no address other than "rear of 190 Timor Street".

"It was just unbelievably confusing for people," Mr Myers said.

During initial site works, several old chemist bottles were discovered buried on the site including one stamped "R.F Kennedy & C, Chemists, Warrnambool".

Richard Frank Kennedy had established a pharmacy at 188 Timor Street which is today occupied by Lady Vandeburg restaurant.

Mr Myers said the store eventually expanded to occupy the two shops on either side, and back in the day was described as one of the most elegant and best-stocked chemists in Victoria.

Mr Kennedy was born in England and came to Melbourne in 1856 before moving to Warrnambool in 1870.

He was a councillor from 1885 until 1890 and was for many years president of the Warrnambool Hospital and Benevolent Asylum, president of the Mechanics' Institute and art gallery.

Construction of the new Myers Planning building is nearing completion and will be home to several other tenants including Assemble Design Collective, HEM Communities as well as a cafe and community meeting space.

Mr Myers said he wrote to the council about the naming of the lanes because he was concerned the current address - "rear of 190 Timor Street" - would be difficult for people to identify and potentially cause confusion for emergency services and people delivering goods to the site.

The laneway in front of the entry to the new building is currently run down and Mr Myers said he intended beautifying it with flower pots and sustainable worm farms where coffee grinds from the cafe can be reused.

He said the city council was currently designing the new look for the laneway and was helping with the upgrade.

"At the moment, it's very unloved," he said.

Mr Myers said naming the entrance to Ozone car park in honour of the De Grandi family was something he was keen to see happen.

"De Grandi just seems so logical, not only with the sign on the wall but with the connection to the family and the legacy that they've left. It's a nice little nod to that," he said.

Mr Myers said he wanted to see the sign on the wall alongside the old De Grandi's sportsgoods store - which was founded in 1897 by Lou Di Grandi - protected and restored.

He said he planned to approach the council and the owners of the building next year to work out how to save the much-loved sign.

"Wouldn't it be great to see the sign protected," he said.

"We'd love to restore the sign."

Mr Myers said giving the lanes a name and identity would instil a bit of pride in the locations.

The council is seeking feedback on the naming ideas.

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