Moorabool St building Lloyd’s Corner to be demolished

Construction work is under way at a prominent CBD site. Find out what’s happening and see the plans.

Plans for the proposed building at the Lloyds Corner site.

A prominent CBD building will soon be demolished and could make way for a three-storey hospitality venue.

Lloyds Corner, on Moorabool St, was purpose-built as a pharmacy in the 1930s and was home to Geelong’s Popcultcha for a decade before it was sold above its $2m-plus quote range in mid-2021.

The building was purchased by Geelong developer Bill Votsaris, who has already played a key role in transforming the strip between Moorabool St and Gheringhap St into a foodie hub.

Now, he hopes to extend that precinct along Moorabool St.

A demolition permit for Lloyds Corner has been granted, and over the past two weeks work has started – with the interior of the building completely stripped and hoarding erected around the outside.

Bill Votsaris’ son, Paul, manages the project and said the existing building would be demolished in coming weeks.

Plans for the proposed building at the Lloyds Corner site.

In its place they hope to build a three-storey venue, with a major hospitality tenant understood to be secured for the ground floor.

Paul Votsaris said it was hoped the proposed building would have hospitality tenants across all three levels, including on the rooftop.

He said there were plans for up to five tenants, but said there would be room for flexibility – with some floors able to cater for two tenants.

He said the proposed building had been designed by two local architectural firms, James Deans and Associates and Plot Architecture, that had “a good understanding of the importance and significance of this location”.

“This is the entrance to the cultural precinct and very prominent to Moorabool St,” he said.

It’s proposed the building would be contemporary in style.

Plans for the proposed building at the Lloyds Corner site.

“Our expectation is that this building will not speak to a specific function or time, but will be admired for its contemporary modernity, and respect traditional building styles,” the architects wrote.

Mr Votsaris said the project would be “critical for kickstarting that activation” of Moorabool St.

He said a planning permit for the development was expected to be granted soon.

Lloyd’s Corner is not the only building site along Moorabool St, with the Hamilton Group expected to soon start construction on a planned $5m redevelopment of the former Bright and Hitchcocks building, which was previously home to a 7-Eleven store.

Once complete, the Hamilton site will include a rooftop bar, office and retail spaces.

Plans for the project were submitted in August 2020.

Originally published as Moorabool St building Lloyd’s Corner to be demolished