Designs for a new shade structure reignited community debate about further council spending in the mall, and the area's future.

Some people said they would rather council reopen the mall to road traffic than spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on reinvigorating the space.

Others suggested making the mall a destination for dining.

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City of Greater Bendigo public space and place making coordinator Wonona Fuzzard said the organisation supported and promoted the idea of having more outdoor dining in the mall.

But none of the shops in the mall are owned by the council.

Ms Fuzzard said the city had been trying to improve its relationships with shop owners in the mall and "encourage them to be part of the whole collective, as opposed to just individuals."

Installing colourful window wraps in vacant shops was part of council's plan to transform the city centre - the same strategy that identified the shade structure as a priority for Hargreaves Mall.

Ms Fuzzard said some of shop owners had been receptive to the idea, but others were not interested.

Responding to the suggestion the mall should be filled with eateries, Ms Fuzzard said plans for the new Mantra Hotel included a large outdoor dining area.

"It is hoped that other businesses will see the opportunity offered by the mall, given it is a fully-constructed safe pedestrian area not constrained by risk factors such as barriers for protection from vehicles, which take up valuable space," she said.

The city also hoped the two "lanterns" in the mall, which formerly housed public toilets, might attract eateries that could also have outdoor dining.

The lanterns were converted into spaces for pop-up businesses last year, with expressions of interest expected to open soon.

Ms Fuzzard said attracting more outdoor dining to the mall was one of the key drivers behind investments in landscaping and infrastructure like umbrellas outside the Bendigo Original Pie Shop and Fresh Mint.

She said it would be disappointing to have to reopen the mall to traffic, particularly given popular features like the Fun Loong play space, nearest to Williamson Street.

Further investments are planned for the mall, including new public seating, additional greenery, and a low-level stage for outdoor performances.

Those additional works are expected to cost about $230,000, and would be subject to a future budget allocation.

The city is exploring further options for water play in the mall - another of the priorities listed in the 2018 Transforming the City Centre Action Plan.

It is also considering re-purposing the bus waiting facility, though Ms Fuzzard said that had become less of a priority since the lanterns were transformed into micro-tenancies.

She said an earlier round of expressions of interest in re-purposing the bus waiting facility did not get a good response.

"With the two lanterns, we're expecting to get a better response for that," Ms Fuzzard said.

She said the difference with the lanterns was that space would be ready for businesses to move into and use, as opposed to having to bring an operating space with them to the bus waiting facility.

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The 2018 plan prioritised seats and shade at the bus waiting facilities on the southern side of Mitchell Street.

Ms Fuzzard said the city was working with the Department of Transport to look at changing some of the bus routes to get better coverage of the city centre.

She said some additional seating had been installed in the area since the plan was released, along with vegetation.

"We looked into shade but it's difficult to try and get the shade there because the nit limits access for the buses," Ms Fuzzard said.

Working with Myer to "explore opportunities that reinforce the role of the department store as a city centre anchor" was among the 2018 plan's priorities.

Ms Fuzzard said the city regularly met with the department store, which was born in Bendigo.

She said there had been improvements to Bendigo's Myer store, which Ms Fuzzard said was "operating really well."

"We would love to see them completely redevelop it," she said.

Some of the ideas that were in the plan in 2018 have changed, like an idea for a shuttle bus.

Ms Fuzzard said the city had been advised the area was too small for the shuttle bus to be viable.

"The city centre itself is not a huge area, and it's quite walkable," she said.

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Plans for a parents' room and toilet facility in the mall have scrapped in favour of the $320,000 Changing Place amenities at the Hargreaves Street multi-storey car park.

"There was a fairly strong belief that because we were investing so heavily in the Changing Place facility, and it's right next to the mall, we wouldn't want to then be adding even more costs by purchasing a shop and upgrading facilities," Ms Fuzzard said.

She said the feedback from the mall traders had been that they were exceptionally happy the lanterns had been repurposed because the toilets had been attracting antisocial behaviour.

Ms Fuzzard said the vacancy rate across the city centre was fairly low.

"It's just that they're clustered, so it looks worse than it is," she said.

She believed the Mantra Hotel would create a lot of vibrancy in Hargreaves Mall and provide an incentive for the owners of surrounding properties to do something as well.

The Transforming the City Centre Action Plan was drafted following business and community round tables in 2017 and 2018.

The city received 14 community submissions in response to the draft plan. Council adopted the final plan in July 2018.

"The action plan responds to many of the comments that the community have raised in recent years through emails, letters, meetings and conversations," Ms Fuzzard said.

"Actions range from very low cost and easy-to-implement, to those that require significant private sector investment and have long lead times.

"All of the actions are designed to attract more people, more often into the Bendigo city centre."