Lara MP Ella George advocating for Rippleside residents in Balmoral Quay battle
A seven-storey development rejected by Geelong council but now before Victoria’s planning minister has sparked fierce debate between housing needs and community wishes.
A local politician says she will continue to advocate for Rippleside residents who are vehemently opposed to a seven-storey development as her own government goes about meeting its ambitious housing targets.
Lara MP Ella George said concerned residents had contacted her in recent weeks regarding the revised application for 83 apartments that make up the final stage of the Balmoral Quay development.
The application was submitted to planning minister Sonya Kilkenny in July via the state government’s development facilitation program (DFP) after Geelong council controversially rejected the project last year.
Ms George said she had conveyed the residents’ concerns to Ms Kilkenny.
“I think it’s important that residents’ voices are heard in all planning application processes,” she said.
“And as a local MP, my role is to listen to the concerns that the community raise with me and advocate on their behalf.”
In 2023, Ms George said the residents had some “very valid concerns”, particularly regarding the height and density of the development.
The revised plans feature 83 apartments – one less than the previous proposal – across seven storeys, as well as 135 car parks and 115 bicycle spaces.
The apartments would range from one to three bedrooms.
The state government has set a target of an additional 128,600 dwellings in Greater Geelong by 2051.
The DFP allows the government to approve projects without the need for council support as part of a streamlined process aimed at increasing housing supply at a faster rate.
Ms Kilkenny last week promoted the fast-tracked approval of two Geelong projects via the DFP as the government “continued working towards our bold housing targets”.
Combined, the projects – one in the CBD and the other in Geelong West – will deliver 270 in-fill dwellings.
“We know the only way to make housing fairer for young Victorians is to build more homes, faster – that’s why we’re fast-tracking projects just like these ones in Geelong,” Ms Kilkenny said.
Since the DFP opened to residential development two years ago, more than 5100 homes have been fast-tracked.
Council referred the Balmoral Quay project to an independent panel in December 2023, only to ignore its advice to approve the project.
Rippleside resident Julie Hannan-Smith has been one of the most vocal opponents of the seven-storey proposal.
In August, she said the developer was using the DFP as “the back door for a third bite”.
Originally published as Lara MP Ella George advocating for Rippleside residents in Balmoral Quay battle
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