Homing in on the future
Development plan for ‘vibrant’ residential neighbourhood
SOUTH Geelong train station will be surrounded by medium and high-density developments, including buildings of up to 10 storeys, under a City of Greater Geelong proposal.
Councillors will on Tuesday vote on a recommendation to release its Draft South Geelong Urban Design Framework (UDF) for an eight-week community consultation, revealing its plans for boosting housing density in the area.
The UDF lays out a proposal to nominate Moorabool Street and South Geelong Station precincts as “key development areas”, where buildings of up to 10 storeys will be erected to increase housing supply.
The framework will expand the “increased housing diversity area” around South Geelong Station from 400m to 800m to allow for new developments.
The UDF includes concept plans revealing plans for a new multi-level car park at the station, a redeveloped childcare centre and a series of multilevel developments on the former Barwon Water site along Carr Street.
“The development on the western edge of the plaza (corner of Bellerine Street and Carr
Street) is proposed to be a landmark podium building of up to 10 storeys. Development will generally reduce in height as you move east through the site,” the UDF notes.
“Development is proposed to be up to six storeys on the remainder of the Lonsdale Street frontage and Carr Street frontages. Development which addresses Swanston Street and the existing lane should be lower in scale — up to three storeys — and be of maisonette and townhouse typologies to minimise impact on existing residents.”
A section of Moorabool Street, from the train line to
Fyans Street, is also earmarked for major development in the plan, with buildings of up to seven storeys earmarked for the area.
“The area will transition over time into a vibrant primarily residential neighbourhood,” the UDF notes. “The preferred location for non-residential uses is on ground floor street corners ... Public spaces associated with heritage buildings are to be activated with retail or commercial uses addressing these spaces.”
A streetscape upgrade is also proposed for the Moorabool St area, including large canopy trees and better cycling lanes.